Mother of Western Psych shooter wants privacy

The mother of a mentally ill gunman who killed one person and wounded five at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Oakland last year is going to court to keep confidential potentially embarrassing emails between her and her son.

Susan Shick filed a motion in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court asking a judge to keep emails between her and John Shick out of public court records. John Shick of Oakland walked into Western Psych armed with two handguns on March 8, 2012, and opened fire, killing Michael Schaab, 25, of Regent Square. Police shot and killed John Shick.

Susan Shick, who was in Pittsburgh recently to provide a deposition in multiple civil cases her son's victims filed, said in the court document filed Friday that providing personal emails with her son “would cause substantial hardship, annoyance, embarrassment, oppression” to herself and others.

Making such documents public would be “gravely infringing upon her right to have her personal life and family matters remain private,” the motion states. The records include credit card statements, according to the motion.

Schaab's family and the other victims of the shooting sued Susan Shick, claiming she failed or refused to follow advice to treat her son's schizophrenia and knew about his mental illnesses and violent tendencies, but downplayed those concerns when she spoke with doctors and a UPMC mental health crisis unit. Attorneys representing the victims did not return calls.

Susan Shick lives aboard a yacht and could not be reached. Her attorneys, Thomas P. Birris, Joseph V. Lesinski and Stuart Stostmann, did not return calls.

Adam Brandolph is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-391-0927 or abrandolph@tribweb.com.