Alleged McDonald's shooter: I'm a veteran with PTSD

The man accused of shooting two teens outside an Ankeny McDonald’s Saturday after they got into a dispute with employees about pickles says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from serving two tours in Iraq.

Gabriel John Coco, 36, of Des Moines allegedly pistol-whipped and shot the two 18-year-olds outside after he became angry over their exchange with McDonald's workers that "alluded" to pickles, police say.

Police wouldn't elaborate on what was said, and Coco’s attorney, Timothy McCarthy, would not permit him to answer questions regarding the shooting.

But Coco told The Des Moines Register in a telephone interview Tuesday that he’s undergoing treatment at the VA Central Iowa Health Care System for PTSD and didn’t get the services he needed until several years after his honorable discharge from the Army.

“I’ve been lucky to have a very good support system around me, my family and friends. But it’s very difficult, because there’s nobody out here who fully understands what soldiers have gone through,” Coco said.

McCarthy wouldn't say whether Coco's condition after leaving the military was a factor in the shooting.

The National Archives for Veterans Service Records could not immediately confirm Coco's service record.

Nickolas Culver, one of Coco’s alleged victims, said in a brief interview Tuesday that the woman driving Coco’s car yelled out something about Coco's mental health issues during the assault.

Previous coverage: Pickles dispute preceded McDonald's shootings, police say

“He came up behind me and put (the gun) to my head. Then he hit me in the head with it,” Culver told the Register. “He was like, you think it’s loaded? You think guns are funny?”

Police say Coco observed Culver and his friend, Justin Phongsavanh, exhibiting “poor behavior” toward McDonald’s employees Saturday evening. Whatever was said irked Coco so much that he followed the two men into the parking lot, went to grab his gun from his car, then confronted them, according to criminal complaints and police.

The trio had a verbal argument and Coco fired “warning shots” at the men, one of which struck Culver’s right arm, according to reports.

Phongsavanh was struck in the arm with a bullet, which continued into his upper torso, causing internal bleeding and possibly paralysis, the complaint states. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit in serious but stable condition.

Culver said he had a gash in his head after Coco struck him with the pistol sights, which records show was a .40 caliber handgun. The Register couldn't ascertain Tuesday whether Coco legally owned the gun or where he obtained it.

Culver was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and set up a GoFundMe page for Phongsavnh's medical bills. The site has already raised over $5,000, Culver said.

Coco turned himself in to the Polk County Sheriff's Office about 20 minutes after the shooting. He paid his $20,000 bond through a California-based bond insurance company and was released Sunday from the Polk County Jail.

His preliminary hearing is set for 1 p.m. Nov. 3.

Coco, his attorney with him, said he served in a distinguished cavalry unit from 2001 to 2005 as a heavy machine gunner and tank driver. He said he was deployed to Baghdad from March 2004 to April 2005.

“It was an incredibly violent tour the entire year. … It wasn’t just rockets and firefights; they started blowing themselves up,” Coco said. “I was lucky enough not to be shot, but I do have a (traumatic brain injury) which permanently damaged my balance caused by explosions from the IEDs.”

Coco said he was in Baghdad on Sept. 30, 2004, when bombings killed 35 children and seven adults as U.S. troops handed out candy, referencing a CNN story on the incident.

After being discharged, Coco said he became a public affairs broadcast specialist for the military.

“I think that’s the only reason I went back. I wanted to get the soldier’s story out there,” Coco said.