COLUMBUS -- After a barricade situation turned murder-suicide left two people dead, the son of the murder victim is urging families across central to seek assistance for their loved ones living with mental illness.
Geoffrey Helms says his mother, 73-year-old Jerry Helms, made it her life mission to serve and help others.
“She’s a very giving person, she’s a retired school teacher with Columbus Public, she was active in ministry at Abundant Life Ministries,” Helms said.
In addition to serving the public, Helms said his mother offered aid to relatives.
“Taking care of her cousins which were in a sense like little brothers to her.
“Every two weeks, every other Wednesday, she was taking food to them to make sure they were taken care of,” Helms said.
But Helms said one of those cousins, 60-year-old Donald Bugg, who he alleges battled mental illness for decades, was resistant to Jerry’s help.
Helms says Jerry served as power of attorney for Bugg's mother, a move he said Bugg resented and often verbalized in a threatening manner.
On Wednesday while making a delivery to her cousins’ home, Jerry was killed.
Columbus Police say after five hours of negotiating with Bugg, they entered his North Ohio Avenue home where he fired shots at officers before turning the gun on himself.
“It just shows how unstable, imbalanced and sick Donald was,” Helms said.
“Take mental illness seriously and get help, get them help don’t be ashamed to call your local health agency and get those resources in action so these people can get the help that they need.”