Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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News Specialist Jill AtwoodA desperate struggle between a mother and her mentally ill son, came to an end when a sheriff's deputy fired his gun.
The shooting happened last night in Kearns, but the problems that apparently led to the confrontation began years ago.
The man's family says its too bad he had to get shot, to have a chance now, to get help.
Eugene Delgado is once again in jail where he has been several times before, but this time his family hopes he won't be coming home.
"Eugene is kind of the weird one that does have problems there has been in the past domestic violence in the home and police officers usually over here all the time", said next-door neighbor Kathleen Gallegos, "He just the big problem of the neighborhood too."
Last night police say 38 year old Eugene Delgado had both hands wrapped around his mother's neck.
She's too shaken to be interviewed on camera, but did tell us what happened.
"He come back in the bedroom and said get out of here because I was scared, and he grabbed me again, and he really had a hold of me then", said Delgado's mother, "I didn't know if I was going to come out of it or not."
When deputies arrived they tried to calm Delgado, but he just kept coming...after pepper spray and billy clubs didn't do the trick...a deputy on scene pulled her gun and fired.
Delgado is recovering today and is okay physically, but it's his mental stability his friends and family are most worried about.
"It's been scary all the time because you just never know what mood he's going to be in from one moment to the next", Delgado's mother continued, "One moment he's good as gold the next he's flared off so bad you don't know where you're going to end up."
Delgado's mom says her son suffers from a condition known as bi-polar depression, and needs help. She can't force him to take his medication, or get counseling and it seems neither will anyone else.
He was court ordered to counseling at Valley Mental Health some time ago, but for whatever reason says his mom that was discontinued.
"They said for one thing that he needs to admit himself to get help and he's not going to do it that's for sure", said Delgado's mother.
For confidentiality reasons Valley Mental Health could not tell us the specifics behind Delgado's therapy..only that he chose to go elsewhere. We don't know if he indeed finished his therapy or if in fact the court ever followed up on it.
