I saw this article the other day.... and while it breaks my heart a part of me gets angry reading it. I really feel for the mother in this situation... but if you are to the point where you have to have safety drills with your other children in the event your mentally ill child goes on a rampage and hurts you or your family, it's time to take serious action.
Not ALL mentally ill children go to prison... many adults end up there. Which is exactly why this mother SHOULD press charges when this happens. This child has a much better chance of getting help if it's court mandated, however messed up people think that is it's the truth of the current system. Once he turns 18, that help will be over with and he WILL end up in jail. Or killing someone-- or a school full of people. Having worked for the police department, I saw many children in similar positions get help this way.... but if the parents are so gung-ho on "protecting" their child from the system, they won't get the help.
It would be the hardest thing ever, but as a parent one of your most basic, but biggest, responsibilities is to keep your children safe. It would kill me inside, but my child would be a ward of the state before I allowed it to get to the point where he could seriously hurt or kill my other children.
I know it seems like I am unsympathetic, and that certainly isn't the case... it's just that I have seen this time and time again and this situation was entirely preventable. I'm not one on pushing gun control in this instance, particularly legislative action, but when a mother knows her child is violent (and has possibly been in fear from her life) she has no business having guns in her home. I know he is the one responsible for the shooting, and unfortunately she was killed as well.... but I am quite angry at the mother at the moment for having those guns. If she was alive, she would likely be criminally charged for her "involvement".
I'm gonna stop cuz I'm not going off on a tangent, but I think you get the basic point of my post.