Hate crimes and state of mind

NEW YORK - Here's what we know about Naveed Haq:

Jami Floyd starts the week with the Last Word.

He was born in Ohio in 1975 to Pakistani immigrants. He excelled academically as a child, and in high school was accepted into an accelerated college program. That's when the problems began. Depression, a suicide attempt, hearing voices.

By the time he was 20, Haq was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Later, schizo-affective disorder was added to the diagnosis. Haq suffered from mania, hallucinations and the belief that he could broadcast his thoughts. He believed he could to go back in time and shift between dimensions, levels and worlds.

We also know that on July 28, 2006, Naveed Haq shot and killed one woman and badly injured five others at the Jewish Federation Headquarters in Washington. Read more

But this was not a hate crime, because this defendant has a long history of mental illness, not a long history of anti-Semitism. As is all too often the case, our mental health system failed these victims, just as it failed Naveed Haq.

And that is the Last Word.

– Jami Floyd, In Session anchor