Investigator kills himself at Mobile County Sheriff HQ www.privateofficer.com
Posted by privateofficernews on October 21, 2009
Sheriff Sam Cochran said the sergeant “became very distraught” about 3 p.m. and barricaded himself inside a workroom in the back of Sheriff’s Office headquarters on S. Royal Street.
When fellow employees spotted the sergeant, armed with his service weapon, they called for help — and soon negotiators were on the other side of the workroom door talking to the man, Cochran said.
More than 80 employees were ushered away from the room and the building was placed under lockdown as the negotiators talked to the sergeant for an hour and 40 minutes, Cochran said.
“But we could not convince him to surrender his weapon,” Cochran said.
At 4:40 p.m., the sergeant fired a single shot, killing himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Chad Tucker said the 51-year-old sergeant worked as an investigator with the department for several years. He declined to say what had upset the man, saying only “we are still looking into everything, and all we can say now is that he was obviously very distraught.”
The sergeant’s name was withheld Tuesday night because his family had yet to be notified.
“He was very well-liked and respected,” Cochran said.
The shooting remained under investigation Tuesday, Cochran said, in part because “we certainly want to know if there’s anything we could have done to change the outcome.”
