A young man commited suicide on the range last Thursday. He fired 49 rounds, then turned the 50th on himself.
I reached him within seconds, but he showed no vital signs whatsoever. He left behind two notes, one of which he appeared to have been holding while he shot himself, and another in his wallet. He waited until the area to his left was clear and aimed the weapon in such a way that nobody was downrange from the bullet.
We all expect suicidal people to give some sort of sign before they do something like this. As I’ve learned over the last few days, this isn’t the case. I’d spoken to this person on two occasions at length, and he always appeared amiable and content. He seemed to enjoy shooting and was showing improvement over time.
Many suicidal people become somewhat serene once they’ve made the decision. I have no idea what led this man to take his own life, but he must have made up his mind well before we met. Continued...