> I fail to see how suggesting that this shooter is mentally ill would contribute to the shooting and killing of mentally ill patients
It's possibly perpetuating the widespread belief that people with mental illness are predominantly violent. The _vast_ majority are not.
> This shooter is not being stigmatised at all, as i see it: attention is being drawn to a potential sufferer who is not receiving (adequate) care.
I guess the "mentally ill" label is a bit more compassionate than "violent criminal", but it also applies to millions of harmless people who don't necessarily benefit from being lumped into the same label.