By Jane Prendergast
Enquirer staff writer

The man police say killed a Kmart employee this week and wounded a customer before committing suicide was twice declared mentally ill in Hamilton County probate court.

The court does not disclose full records in its mental-health cases because they are considered medical records, so the exact diagnoses determined in 1999 and 2002 for Paul Thomas Faith are not publicly available. But a record for those cases says the 25-year-old was diagnosed in 1999 after his mother initiated proceedings to have him involuntarily committed for mental health treatment.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate Tuesday's shooting at the Big Kmart at 8451 Colerain Ave. Spokesman Steve Barnett said Friday he could not comment on Faith's mental status. But he said detectives still have not found a link between Faith and Paul Heid, the 22-year-old father Faith fatally shot. .

Faith, on his way out of the store, fired more shots, two of them hitting James Patrick "Pat'' Daly, 46, of Mount Healthy. He was scheduled to undergo surgery today to have a bullet removed from his jaw, his wife, Janet, said Friday.

Daly remained in critical condition Friday, she said, but "they are very optimistic that things are going to be OK. He's still holding his own and everything is looking up.''

Daly's sons said their father pushed their mother out of the store after the shots, but then went back in to help other frightened customers and employees. The couple had gone to the store to return some clothes.

Faith's funeral is this morning. Court records show that in November 1999, Faith was ordered by a probate court magistrate to the eighth floor of University Hospital, which court administrator Paul Ratterman said is the psychiatric ward. A month later, Faith was transferred and was to be cared for as an outpatient. The following February, he agreed to voluntarily be admitted to the hospital, and the case was closed.

In October 2002, Faith was again ordered detained at University Hospital. That order was initiated by an affidavit from his mother.

A week later, he was transferred to outpatient care. By January 2003, he voluntarily agreed to be admitted to a hospital and that case was closed.

A Cincinnati attorney involved in the 2002 case, Jack Jacobs, said he could not comment about it, citing attorney-client privilege.

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E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com