A Monroe County man whose wife was killed in an armed standoff with state police now faces charges for his role in the incident.

State police say that Nello Tibaldi knowingly gave a loaded gun to his wife, who had a history of mental illness and was experiencing paranoid delusions, officers said.

Betty Jane Tibaldi, 54, of Mount Pocono, was killed by state police after she shot at them, seconds after she received the gun. The chase and standoff took place on Route 611 in Pocono Township late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office and the state police continue to investigate the incident.

The court documents filed against Nello Tibaldi, 77, state that Betty Jane Tibaldi suffered from schizophrenia and was not taking court-ordered medication.

The shooting occurred after a standoff on Route 611 which lasted several hours. Nello Tibaldi told police that they refused to surrender because they believed that police officers kidnap, rape and murder people.

The incident began a few miles away around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night. Pocono Township Police approached a vehicle they said was illegally parked outside a business.

Betty Jane Tibaldi was outside the vehicle with her dog, but got inside and drove away.

Police followed the vehicle and disabled it with stop sticks. Using a drone, they determined that Nello Tibaldi was holding a handgun.

State police attempted to negotiate with the couple, and the state police Special Emergency Response Team was called to assist.

Troopers reported that Betty Jane Tibaldi was experiencing paranoid delusions. They called Nello Tibaldi’s son to encourage them to surrender, but said that Betty Jane Tibaldi believed that Nello’s son was being held against his will.

Several hours into the standoff, Nello Tibaldi agreed to surrender.

The drone observed him passing the handgun to his wife. Seconds after Nello exited the vehicle, troopers said, Betty Jane opened her door and fired a single shot toward the police. They returned fire, striking her one time with a shot that proved to be fatal.

During a police interview, Nello Tibaldi told police that his wife fled and refused to surrender because she believed that police kidnap, rape and murder people.

Asked about his wife’s mental health history, Nello Tibaldi told police that she was ordered by a judge to take medication after a police incident in New York state in 2017. Nello Tibaldi said she hadn’t been taking the medication because he thought she no longer needed it, and the court order was not in effect.

Joseph Tibaldi told police that his stepmother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He said that she had moved to Pennsylvania from New York so she did not have to follow the treatment ordered by the courts there.

Nello Tibaldi was charged with recklessly endangering the welfare of others. He was also charged for providing the firearm to his wife, who was legally prohibited from possessing weapons.

He is currently being held on $25,000 bail.