BRIDGEWATER, Va. -- Alexander Wyatt Campbell's court-appointed attorney asked for a mental health evaluation for his client on Wednesday.
In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Alexander's mom Cheryl Campbell said that her son was in need of help.
“My son is mentally ill and he did something that I could not control and no one could come to help him,” Campbell said in an interview with the newspaper on Wednesday. “I’m sorry for what has happened. I could not prevent it.”
However, authorities in Hanover County said that they have had no requests for mental health calls on Alexander's behalf.
"Prosecutors will be anticipating an insanity defense in the future and that's why they'll be asking questions they can to nail down his state of mind and looking at his electronics to nail down his state of mind. And defense attorneys will be looking at that same evidence."
Crime Insider sources said that agents believe Campbell was squatting on campus and that's when campus security members were called on Tuesday afternoon.
Virginia State Police confirmed in a Tuesday press conference that the call was made by school employees.
"He was in a location he shouldn't have been and as a result, some employees noticed him. He actually startled them and that's when campus police were notified that they had an individual that shouldn't have been at the location and that's why they responded."
VSP said that multiple weapons were found both on and off Bridgewater's campus.
Campbell is charged with the capital murder of John Painter, a campus police officer, and J.J. Jefferson, a campus safety officer.
The officers were known as the dynamic duo on campus, leaving both students and alum struggling to understand the violence.
Graduate Ida Charlotte used to give orientation tours for the school.
"I had a moment of guilt last night where I was like, I don't know what type of influence I had over these people but what if I had a hand in them choosing Bridgewater," Charlotte said.
She said one of her selling points for the college was always touting it as one of the safest campuses in America. She said that while she still believes that it is, Tuesday's shooting opened her mind to believe that violence can happen anywhere.
"For any prospective students, I wouldn't let this incident influence your choice of going to Bridgewater or not. They still have a fantastic campus police system and all of the officers have been very involved on campus and are very familiar with their students and they make sure they're present on campus," Charlotte said.
