Gun range suicide

[DevLcL]

http://www.marinij.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4271571

Gunshot kills man at San Rafael range
Tad Whitaker and Gary Klien


A 27-year-old San Francisco man apparently shot himself to death Thursday at a San Rafael shooting range, police said.
The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at the Bullseye Precision Indoor Shooting Range at 1281 Andersen Drive. The man was taken to Marin General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:27 p.m., said San Rafael police Sgt. Raffaello Pata.

The man's name was not immediately released pending notification of his family.

Police said the gunshot to the neck appeared to be self-inflicted, but the investigation is continuing.

Rebecca Yee, a 22-year-old San Anselmo resident, was with her father shooting in the stall next to the victim when the incident occurred. She said the victim had been in the range for about 20 minutes while taking a lesson from instructor Peter Koch, a Corte Madera pistol expert who teaches classes at Bullseye.

Immediately after the shooting, Koch told everyone to unload their weapons and leave quickly, Yee said.

"He was very professional," she said.

Although Yee did not witness the shooting, she saw the victim immediately afterward and said the wound was in the upper neck and head area. She said he was bleeding profusely.

"You would have to be pointing it (the gun) right at your face," she said.

The range has been the scene of several fatal shootings since its opening in 1993. A 26-year-old Larkspur man shot himself to death there in 1994, a 62-year-old Marinwood man fatally shot himself in 1996 and a 17-year-old San Anselmo boy shot himself to death in 1998.

Jon Heim, Bullseye's attorney, called Thursday's incident "terribly saddening and disheartening."

"Our impressions are that it was a tragic suicide that was both unforeseeable and unpreventable," he said.

This sort of thing is becoming a normality here in Northern California. I didn't see this happen but I was on the scene shortly after. It was gruesome. The man had put the muzzle of his gun under his chin and fired. Not that it matters much, but the gun used was a Glock in .40. The female witness mentioned in the article was a little shaken up but was holding it together and gave clear info. My hat goes off to her, she was standing about 2 feet from the guy. Also the range master did a really good job, he made everyone leave immediately and blocked access to the scene until police arrived. It's sad this sort of thing happens... but it does. I feel sorry for the guys family. It also certainly doesn't help the pro-gun movement here in Northern Cali.

-Dev

Edited to make PC corrections.

 

[psyopspec]

The implications to the pro-2A movement are a bit selfish. If a person is going to commit suicide, why go to a public range? Overall it's a tragedy, but we'd all be better off if the man would have run his car in a garage rather than this.

 

[DevLcL]

Don't get me wrong it is very sad.

Here's a follow-up article: http://www.marinij.com/fastsearchresults/ci_4279898


Also, this isn't the only range in the area where this has happened. I can't find any related articles but I know for a fact it has happened at least once at a range about 20 miles north aswell. Does this sort of thing happen all over the place?

 

[paramedic70002]

Wonder how many of these involved "rented" guns?

 

[TexasRifleman]

Wonder how many of these involved "rented" guns?

I shoot sometimes at a range in Milpitas when I am there on business.

They have a rule about not renting to anyone shooting alone, and they had one of these incidents over the summer as well. I am beginning to see that at some ranges in Texas as well.

Someone determined to take their own life will find a way.

Sounds like this guy may have circumvented that system by taking "lessons" and staying to practice, who knows.

Sad all they way around, both for the shooting community and the dead.

 

[Geno]

Security Video

I wonder if they had a security video in the range and what it shows?

The range where I shoot has cameras.

Doc2005

 

[screwman]

That happened here in NW Ohio a couple years ago with a rental gun.

Mike

 

[calzoom]

It has always amazed me why people are sometimes bent on self destruction.

Many years ago while visiting Niagra Falls a person had jumped the day before we arrived. While at the edge of the falls enjoying the view I overheard others commenting on what it would be like to jump.

Same on our farm. Folks would come to visit and wanted to jump from the hay mow window some 20 feet up. Or wanted to jump the widest part of the creek when stones were handy to walk across. Always with adverse results.

YEP! I don't shoot with strangers any more. Not since the time I looked past my shooting buddy and saw his new friend looking down the bbl of a semi with his finger on the trigger......!!!

We had a name for these folks then. I guess their kind are still around.

 

[ColoradoKid]

I have always thought that this type of suicide was done by a non-gun owner and that the possibility existed that that person was an anti gunner all his life...??

 

[Erebus]

I wonder how many of these suicides are accidents. Brain cramp, handling oops, just being stupid, call it what you will. I just find it hard to believe every one of these incidents are suicide.

 

[QuickDraw]

I don't think these are "accidents" as they almost always are head shots.
I would think if they were accidents,
then there would be shots in the leg,
arm etc.
As a side note,Its funny(funny weird
not funny haha) that this occurs at
ground zero of the antigun crowd.
I guess antigunners just might have a use for guns after all.
My .02.
Doug

ETA:I live about 2 miles from Bullseye and have shot there.

 

[Erebus]

I would think if they were accidents, then there would be shots in the leg, arm etc.

I don't think we hear about the arm and leg shots in the news cause it isn't spectacular enough.