A 21-year-old Houston man who was shot by police after firing into the air near an Occupy Houston protest in November was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial Monday.

Joshua Twohig will be sent to a state mental hospital until his competency is restored, state District Judge Maria Jackson decreed.

"It's going to take a while to get him to where he understands the nature of the proceedings against him and be of assistance to his defense," said his attorney, George Parnham. "Paranoid delusions take a considerable amount of time to treat. Sometimes they're so fixed, they never give up the belief that something exists that in reality doesn't."

Parnham said Twohig believes the CIA, FBI and local officers bugged his home to investigate him.

"He's also convinced that his neighbors were trying to set him up for an indictment," he said.

The attorney said trying to reason with Twohig is difficult.

"He's solid in his belief, and if you make an effort to change his reality, then you become part of 'the conspiracy," he said.

Parnham said a psychologist with the county's mental health services ruled Twohig incompetent to stand trial, and prosecutors did not disagree.

The attorney said Twohig tried to commit "suicide by cop" about 5 p.m. Nov. 21. He went to Tranquility park where Occupy Houston protesters and police officers were gathered and began shooting into the air. Twohig was not associated with the Occupy Houston movement.

He survived being shot twice by police. Witnesses said Twohig shouted, "Shoot me, shoot me!' " A video shows him holding the rifle to his head.

Twohig has remained in the Harris County Jail on a charge of aggravated assault on a public servant in lieu of $100,000 bail. The felony carries a maximum punishment of life in prison.

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