PICO RIVERA – A man shot himself in the chest
with a nail gun Friday afternoon as he sat inside his truck in the
parking lot of St. Francis Xavier Church.

The unidentified man, who sheriff’s officials estimate is in his mid 50s, drove from Yuma, Arizona, to see his ex-girlfriend.

“He was in violation of a court order,” Sheriff’s Det. E.
Callahan said. “Upon our arrival, we were told it was a possible suicide
attempt.”

The incident occurred just before 1 p.m., Sheriff’s Sgt. Jacqueline Sanchez said.

Officials did not release the name of the man or his ex-girlfriend.

Callahan could not say what the girlfriend’s association was with the church, if any.

“When we pulled up, our first priority was to cordon off the
area and stop pedestrian and vehicle traffic to ensure the safety of the
public,” he said.

The detective saw the man shoot himself.

“I heard a pop,” Callahan said. “It wasn’t too loud.

The man was taken to Los Angeles County USC Medical Center.