A 40–year old man arrested Sunday after allegedly firing nearly a dozen gunshots inside his Wausau home is a veteran suffering from PTSD, according to court documents.

Thomas Kelley faces charges of operating a firearm while intoxicated, disorderly conduct and resisting or obstructing an officer. All three charges are misdemeanors. A judge on Monday ordered Kelley held on a $1,200 signature bond with the first $300 to be paid in cash, according to online court records.

Police were called to the home in the 1000 block of McIntosh Street just before 6 a.m. to a report of multiple gunshots being heard in the area. Officers and SWAT team members surrounded the home for more than an hour, and told neighbors to take shelter until Kelley surrendered, according to the criminal complaint.

Kelley’s roommate told police that Kelley served in the Army and suffered from PTSD and depression. The roommate told investigators he heard about five shots and then heard five more a short time later, according to court records.

Police said Kelley’s roommate was instrumental in helping Kelley surrender peacefully on Sunday. Kelley appeared in court on Monday. Preliminary test results show Kelley had a blood alcohol concentration of. 0.40 percent when he was arrested, court documents said.

A plea hearing has been set for Oct. 23.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the Military

The number of Veterans with PTSD varies by service era, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:

  • Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF): About 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans (or between 11-20 percent) who served in OIF or OEF have PTSD in a given year.
  • Gulf War (Desert Storm): About 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans (or 12 percent) have PTSD in a given year.
  • Vietnam War: About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans (or 15 percent) were currently diagnosed with PTSD at the time of the most recent study in the late 1980s, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). It is estimated that about 30 out of every 100 (or 30 percent) of Vietnam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.