Man Commits Suicide in Retirement Home Courtyard

An ailing 88-year-old resident of Vista del Monte retirement community on Modoc Road committed suicide Wednesday morning by shooting himself in the head in one of the facility’s courtyards.

Authorities received the call at 10:20 a.m. and arrived to find the man dead at the scene. He left several suicide notes in the outdoor courtyard and in his apartment, and he was in poor health, said police spokesperson Sgt. Riley Harwood. The man’s name and details from the notes, which explain why he committed the act in public, won’t be released until relatives are notified, Harwood said.

A woman visiting her mother in Vista del Monte was in the courtyard when the incident occurred but didn’t witness the actual shooting. The man used a .38 caliber revolver, said Harwood. Police continue to investigate the incident but say there’s nothing to suggest suspicious circumstances at this point.