Family: Man shot by police was deaf, mentally ill

June 25--A man shot and killed by a Weatherford police officer on Tuesday was deaf and may have entered the business where he was shot simply to cool off, according to his family.

Minutes prior to the confrontation that led to his death, 49-year-old Randall Waddel called his brother, Richard, and told him that he felt sick and dizzy.

Richard Waddel said he told his brother to go into a nearby business to cool off and drink some water.

Weatherford police said the Weatherford Fire Department and LifeCare were dispatched to a medical call late Tuesday morning after a caller reported a man was acting strangely and appeared to stumble in a grassy median between two businesses in the 1800 block of South Main Street.

Paramedics found Waddel sitting on the ground, according to police, who said Waddel was not very verbally responsive but stood up and pulled out a knife.

Paramedics backed off and called for police, and Waddel entered nearby David's Western Store.

When a responding officer arrived and went inside the store, there was a confrontation and shots were fired, according to police.

A knife was kicked from Waddel's hand after he was shot and fell, a police spokesman reported.

The Texas Rangers are investigating, as is typical of officer-involved shooting deaths.

The officer, who has worked more than seven years with the Weatherford Police Department, has not been named.

"He probably didn't even hear them say anything," Waddel's sister Joyce Waddel said.

Earlier in the week, Waddel, who was legally deaf, had been fitted for his first hearing aids but had not yet received them, his siblings said.

Richard Waddel said his brother wouldn't have heard what was being said unless the person was in his face, yelling.

A previous situation involving paramedics might also have played into the situation, according to his siblings.

"The last time they picked him up he was sick and he was in the Wal-Mart parking lot," Richard Waddel said. "They took him to a mental institution and when they did that, he lost everything, his home, everything, because he was locked up and they wouldn't let him out."

"He's a great guy," Joyce Waddel said. "He's not violent. He just didn't want to be taken away."

Diagnosed with schizophrenia that caused paranoia in the past, Waddel was not currently taking the prescribed medication because it made him too sleepy to work, according to his siblings.

"He quit taking them and he was doing great," Richard Waddel said.

With no driver's license and a flat tire on his bicycle, Randall Waddel didn't want to burden his family so he walked, Joyce Waddel said.

A caring son, he often walked from his RV at KOA Campground off Tin Top Road to his mother's home in town to check on her, his sister said.

But the summer heat was hard on him, according to his family, who said Waddel ended up at the hospital about three days earlier, where he was treated for dehydration.

Born in California and raised in the Pythian Home, Waddel was adventurous, spending years traveling to places like California, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii or, in his younger days, following the Grateful Dead.

His family said he was a hard worker but made sure his boss didn't schedule him to work on Sundays so he could make the long walk to church each week.

"He was a jolly, fat guy who loves kids," Richard Waddel said. "You could trust him with anything."

Richard Waddel said his brother babysat his children and loved to make people laugh.

"He had goals and plans," Joyce Waddel said, describing how Waddel had been taking classes and saving up to get his driver's license back.

Nearing 50 years old, last year he returned to Weatherford and purchased an old RV that he was proud of, according to his siblings. He was ready to settle down with someone and wanted to spend time with his family, his siblings said.

Family members say they question whether their brother should have been shot multiple times at close range.

Richard Waddel said he would like to see any video of the incident at the store.

"I think we need the footage, I think we need to see," Waddel said.

His siblings said they don't have enough money to bury him or hold a funeral service.

Family members say donations jars have been set up at various businesses in Weatherford.

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