51黑料

His father, Frank Cimorelli, a former pitcher for the 51黑料 Cardinals, became cautiously hopeful that his son鈥檚 life was starting to turn around.

Cam had struggled with angry outbursts as a young boy after his parents鈥� divorce.

They figured he was having trouble adjusting. But by the time he was 11 or 12, his parents knew something was seriously wrong. They took him to doctors to try to get help. He was admitted to one of the best psychiatric hospitals in Milwaukee, where they lived. They diagnosed him with ADHD.

When he was released to go home a week later, Cam was no better. He didn鈥檛 like how the medicine made him feel. They tried four or five different medications. Cam refused to open up to his therapist. His parents knew he wasn鈥檛 getting the help he needed.

鈥淲e felt so helpless the entire time,鈥� Frank said. When Cam would spiral, they would take him back to the hospital, where they kept him a couple days and then sent him home. He probably ended up at the hospital 10 times over the years, his father said.

Doctors never gave Cam another diagnosis even though he had times when he suffered from hallucinations and paranoid delusions. But, he also had periods when he was more stable, like when found the flooring job.

That was the happiest his father had ever seen him. They went to baseball games together. Cam was a funny, smart, big-hearted young man. He was a loyal friend, and had a way of charming others. He also loved talking to his grandfather about guns.

One day, he called his father excited about purchasing his first gun.

鈥淢y heart sunk,鈥� Frank said. 鈥淚 felt like his fate was sealed at that point that day.鈥�

But, again, he felt helpless.

At 18, Cam could walk into a store in Wisconsin and legally buy a gun 鈥� even as someone with a documented history of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicidal ideation. He ended up owning three guns, including a rifle. There was no red flag law to stop him, no place to share a doctor鈥檚 warning. The majority of states, including Missouri and Wisconsin, lack red flag laws. It鈥檚 easier to buy a gun than adopt a dog. More than 27,000 people died by firearm suicide in 2023 鈥� about 58% of all gun deaths.

But Cam was doing well 鈥� even supervising a flooring crew 鈥� until something in his brain switched again. Around 23, his mental health started to decline. The hallucinations, paranoia and angry outbursts came back. He was at his father鈥檚 home in December 2022, when he walked down to his bedroom with a hoodie balled up over his face.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on?鈥� Frank asked. Cam took the hoodie off. He held up thumb and index finger to make a gun gesture with his hand. Frank started screaming, his world spinning.

Cam shot himself under his chin. The impact blew out all his teeth, destroyed his jaw. Frank called 911.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if he was going to die in my arms. I had no idea where the bullet was,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f politicians had to see his face that day and didn鈥檛 do anything about it, I鈥檇 have a whole lot of four letter words to describe them. If that was their kid, and they saw that and went to work the next day and did nothing鈥︹��

They waited for the police to clear the house before an ambulance could take Cam to the hospital. His son was rushed into surgery. He had also tested positive for COVID, so no one could go into the hospital with him. For 12 hours, his family had no idea what was happening to him.

By some miracle, Cam survived the suicide attempt. The bullet went through his chin and out of his face. He spent the next several weeks in the hospital having multiple surgeries to reconstruct his jaw and face. When he was discharged, his parents took him straight to a psychiatric hospital.

They begged them to keep him for intensive in-patient treatment. They kept him for five days, then the doctor said they were sending him home.

鈥淲e knew if he came home, we knew something bad was going to happen. We couldn鈥檛 help him or watch him 24/7,鈥� Frank said.

Sure enough, 24 hours after coming home, Cam was dead.

The autopsy was inconclusive. Doctors suggested that an electrolyte imbalance might have caused death in his already weakened state.

Frank couldn鈥檛 bring himself to enter Cam鈥檚 room for months. When he finally went inside, he found little white things scattered around the floor. He started to clean them up and realized it was his son鈥檚 teeth.

Frank has spent the last year telling his son鈥檚 story to anyone who will listen 鈥� on social media, at gun violence prevention events and in meetings with lawmakers. He鈥檚 on a mission to prevent this kind of unbearable suffering and pain for other families. He wants to know how many more parents will have to clean up their children鈥檚 blood before lawmakers decide to do something.

Frank says he鈥檚 not against the Second Amendment or anti-gun.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 worry about responsible gun owners,鈥� he says. But he is furious that nothing stopped his son 鈥� a young man who suffered from repeated mental health crises 鈥� from getting access to guns.

He has spent the past two years trying to climb out of a dark pit of despair. He wants to remember the time they went to see the Brewers play the Nationals and his son asking him about his days as a pitcher. He focuses on Cam鈥檚 strength and humor.

鈥淚鈥檝e been around the best athletes in the world,鈥� Frank says, 鈥渁nd he was as tough as anybody.鈥�

The medical system failed Cam. But the gun industry and NRA-funded lawmakers helped kill him.