Laura Wilcox, a 19-year-old college student from Nevada City, California, was killed on January 10, 2001, in a mass shooting at the Nevada County Department of Behavioral Health. She was working as a temporary receptionist during winter break from Haverford College when Scott Harlan Thorpe, a 40-year-old man with a history of mental illness, opened fire. Pearlie Mae Feldman, another clinic employee, was also killed; Thorpe then drove to a nearby restaurant, where he killed the manager, Mike Markle, and injured others.

Thorpe had long-standing severe mental health problems, including paranoia and agoraphobia, and his family had tried for years to obtain consistent treatment. The shootings and the apparent gaps in the mental health system prompted advocacy for changes in how courts and treatment providers can intervene with people judged to be a danger to themselves or others, leading to legislation known as Laura’s Law in California. Thorpe was arrested after a standoff with police and charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder; he was later found incompetent to stand trial and committed to a state mental hospital.

Does anyone have memories of Laura, or information about the clinic and local response that could add context to what happened?