Family: Suicide could have been prevented

CLOVIS - Jimmy Mondragon was well known around his South Lea Street neighborhood for construction projects and checking on his elderly neighbors.

But he also battled depression and schizophrenia, family members said, and they believe a police standoff that ended with Mondragon's suicide could have and should have been prevented.

"There were a lot of things that could have been prevented," said Tiffanie Mondragon, a sister-in-law. "By the late night, things had escalated to a level they never should have gotten to. At that point, we believe Jimmy thought he did what he needed to do to protect himself."

Jimmy Mondragon, 36, was found dead in a basement early Wednesday about five hours after the first of two times police were dispatched to the 1400 block of South Lea Street

The first, at 5:17 p.m. Tuesday, included a caller reporting Mondragon "had walked up to his porch, armed with a machete," according to a Clovis Police Department news release. The release stated Mondragon denied knowledge of the event, and police were called back to the location at 10 p.m. after a caller "reported Jimmy Mondragon had used a chainsaw to cut into a mailbox, cut into a front screen door of a residence (the homeowner feared for their safety), and a passing vehicle (the driver tried to flee, but his truck was impacted by the chainsaw)."

According to the CPD release:

• Officers located Mondragon in the 1100 block of South Lea. "Mondragon first approached Officers while in possession of the chainsaw, then fled into a home."

• The police Special Weapons and Tactics Team and the Crisis Negotiations Unit were activated. A crisis negotiator spoke to Mondragon via cell phone and "Mondragon yelled at Officers from the residence. During contact with Mondragon, he stated he would 'kill' himself, and also stated he would kill Officers, claiming he had AK47 and AR15 rifles."

• Mondragon ceased contact with the negotiator at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday. At 1:49 a.m., "SWAT breached the front door of the residence. Irritating gas was deployed into the home, but still there was no reaction from Mondragon."

• Then at 2:58 a.m., SWAT entered the residence. Officers forced a basement door open and deployed more gas.

"When there was no reaction, Officers entered the basement. Officers discovered Jimmy Mondragon had taken his own life."

Police did not say how Mondragon killed himself.

Julio and Tiffanie Mondragon said they alerted CPD officials numerous times that Jimmy suffered from mental illness, and they believe the situation would have been handled better with a mental health professional instead of "an officer with a bullhorn," Julio Mondragon said.

Each time, he said, they were rebuffed.

"'We'll handle it,'" is what they told me."

Tiffanie Mondragon said the family believes Jimmy would still be alive if the matter was handled as a mental health issue, and were dismayed the CPD news release included nothing on his mental health.

Tiffanie Mondragon, who works in the mental health field said if police let her husband talk to Jimmy or escorted him to the hospital the first time law enforcement came into contact with him, medical and mental health providers could have followed protocols accordingly.

A message The News sent Friday to CPD to offer a response was not immediately returned.