Police called to home of ‘heavily armed’ suicidal man

NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Nov. 15, 2024) – Police faced uncertain dangers responding to the home of a suicidal man who ended up taking his own life with a gun.
According to a press release, it started when a man at his Kent Circle Northeast home called police and told them he wanted to harm himself around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The man said he was heavily armed and did not know what he would do if officers approached.
Police did get the man’s wife on the phone, and she made it out of the house unharmed. But police were unsuccessful in trying to get the man to exit peacefully and connected with mental health resources. They heard a gunshot over the phone and would find him dead from a self-inflicted wound.
No one else was injured.
The street department had nearby roads blocked as this was happening and the school district rerouted its buses in the area. The Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office also aided at the scene.
Police are promoting available services for those struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide:
- Springvale 24/7 crisis line 330-343-1811
- Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- Text 4Hope to 741-741for the Crisis Text Line
- More resources can be found at adamhtc.org