Deputies rescue suicidal man found hanging from utility pole in Pico Rivera

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> Deputies rescued suicidal man who tried to hang himself from a telephone pole in Pico Rivera Friday morning, officials said.
Deputies were summoned about 9:20 a.m. to the 9300 block of Wampler Street by a family member of the man, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“A male adult became despondent and attempted to hang himself from a telephone pole on the south side of Wampler Street,” according to the statement. A family member tried to intervene and called 911.
“(Deputies) found the man hanging from an electrical cord tied to the pole,” the statement said. “They quickly climbed the telephone pole and lifted the man up, preventing his death. Deputies cut the noose from his neck and carried him down from the pole.”
Paramedics took the man to a hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition, officials said.
Sheriff’s officials urged anyone thinking of hurting themselves to reach out and take advantages of resources designed to help, such as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hotline at 800-273-8255. For more information, visit www.afsp.org.

PHOTO courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Suicide suspected after discovery of man’s body in San Gabriel parking lot

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Brian Day

SAN GABRIEL >> Police suspect suicide after a man was found dead in the parking lot of a Valley Boulevard business park Friday, officials said.
A witness called 9-1-1 about 11 a.m. to report seeing a man in his 50s lying on the ground in a parking lot in the 1000 block of East Valley Boulevard, just west of Walnut Grove Avenue, San Gabriel police Lt. Riki Nakamura said. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.
After finding trauma on the man’s head, detectives initially treated the death as a possible homicide, the lieutenant said. But further investigation indicated the man had committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a nearby two-story building, standing about 50 feet tall.
Though not witnesses to the fall had been found, shoe prints matching the shoes on the body were discovered on the roof of the building, Nakamura said.

Two dead in suspected murder-suicide in Rosemead

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> A man fatally shot another man in a Rosemead residential neighborhood late Tuesday, then turned the gun on himself when confronted by deputies minutes later, officials said.
The suspected murder-suicide took place about 11 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Abi Ben-Sahile said.
A man in his 30s shot another man, estimated to be 30 years old, with a handgun in the driveway of a home in the 2700 block of Willard Avenue, the sergeant said.
“He was shot twice and pronounced dead at the scene,” he said. The shooter ran away.
Deputies responding to the scene found and confronted the alleged gunman just over a block to the south along Klingerman Street, Ben-Sahile said.
As they attempted to detain the gunman, “The suspect shot himself once in the head and was pronounced dead,” he said.
Officials described the suspect and victim as friends. It was unclear what led to the shooting.
Deputies sought no additional suspects as homicide investigators processed the scene early Wednesday morning, Ben-Sahile said.
Anyone with information can reach the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

UPDATED: Man found dead inside car in Azusa; suicide suspected

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Brian Day

AZUSA >> Investigators suspect suicide after the body of a 53-year-old Monrovia man was found inside a car parked outside an Azusa business Thursday afternoon, police said.
A business owner called police shortly before 3 p.m. after finding, “what appeared to be a deceased male seated in a parked vehicle on the street,” in the 900 block of West 10th Street, Azusa police Cpl. Tom Avila said in a written statement.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, he said. An autopsy was pending, but it appeared the man had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
A barbecue had been lit inside his vehicle, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
“A check of the vehicle’s information revealed it was associated with a suicidal male who was reported missing to the Monrovia Police Department on (Tuesday),” Avila said.

Suspect in fatal Pasadena shooting, found dead in Brentwood, identified

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Brian Day

Authorities have released the identity of a Brentwood man suspected of shooting a 24-year-old Pasadena man outside his home early Friday before fatally shooting himself later in the day near his own home in Brentwood.
Brandon Rafiepour, 24, was found dead inside his car from what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound about 4 p.m. in the West Los Angeles area, Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.
The suspected suicide took place in the 300 block of North Kenter Avenue, where public records indicate Rafiepour lived.
He was being sought in connection with the shooting death of Joseph McMahon, which took place shortly after 2 a.m. Friday outside McMahon’s home in the 3600 block of Yorkshire Road, in an unincorporated county area east of Pasadena, she said.
McMahon, was pronounced dead at the scene after sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of gunfire, officials said.
He was described as a former associate producer on the television reality series “The Deadliest Catch,”
A woman who identified herself as McMahon’s sister said she heard seven or eight gunshots just after McMahon left the house, but did not know what had taken place.
No details regarding the circumstances or motive in McMahon’s fatal shooting have been released.
Rafiepour has no history of violent crime listed in Los Angeles County Superior Court records. He was convicted of driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit last year, and of driving while in possession of marijuana in 2009.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Death of Rosemead man found shot inside burning truck ruled a suicide

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> Coroner’s officials have confirmed the death of a man who was found fatally shot inside a burning pickup truck was a suicide, as investigators initially suspected.
Paramedics pronounced the 53-year-old Rosemead man dead at the scene after he was pulled from parked and burning pickup truck early Saturday in the 8500 block of Olney Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said. It was soon found that the unconscious man had also been shot in the chest. A gun was recovered from inside the truck.
Deputies suspected the death to be a suicide, but summoned investigators from the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau and Los Angeles County Department of Coroner to assist in the investigation, Sgt. Steve Ruiz of the sheriff’s Temple Station said.
But an autopsy confirmed officials’ initial suspicion, coroner’s Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The man died from a gunshot wound to the chest, and the death was ruled a suicide, he said.

Man found fatally shot inside burning pickup truck in Rosemead; suicide suspected

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> A man died after deputies pulled from a burning pickup truck with a gunshot wound to his chest early Saturday in what was initially being investigated as a suicide, officials said.
A witness called 9-1-1 about 5:50 a.m. to report a parked pickup truck was on fire with the engine running near a plant nursery in the 8500 block of Olney Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said. Deputies arrived to find the front of the truck in flames.
Seeing a person inside the small truck, deputies pushed back the flames with their fire extinguishers, broke a window and pulled the man out, the sergeant said.
Paramedics soon arrived to treat the man and discovered he had a gunshot wound to his chest, officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation remained in its early stages, however all initial signs pointed to suicide, Ruiz said. A gun was found at the scene.
“Homicide and Arson-Explosives detectives are investigating the cause of the fire. They are not actively looking for a suspect,” according to Deputy Guillermina Saldana.
Anyone with information can reach the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

Suicide suspected after man found found fatally shot in West Covina

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Brian Day

WEST COVINA >> The death of a man found fatally shot inside a car parked in a West Covina parking lot Thursday is being investigated as a suicide, police said.
Officials first received reports about 9 a.m. that a man was unresponsive inside a car parked in the 100 block of South Vincent Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Pat Cirrito said.
Officers found the man had suffered a gunshot wound to his head, the lieutenant said. Foul play was not suspected.

Man found hanged from lamppost in Bassett, suicide suspected

Posted on March 22, 2015 by Brian Day

BASSETT >> Suicide is suspected after the body of a man was found hanged from a lamppost at a Bassett intersection early Sunday, officials said.
A man, who was estimated to be in his 50s, was found hanging from a lamppost just after midnight at Temple and Vineland avenues, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Toni Calton said.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene at 12:18 a.m., she said.
No foul play was suspected, she said. It appeared the man had placed a ladder against the post in order to climb it before hanging himself.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

Suicide suspected after SWAT team finds teenage boy fatally shot inside West Covina home

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Brian Day

WEST COVINA >> A SWAT team responding to gunfire at a West Covina home Friday ultimately found a teenage boy dead from an apparently self-inflicted wound, police said.
Police received a call about 4:30 p.m. reporting a possibly suicidal person armed with a rifle at a home in the 1400 block of South San Springs Drive, West Covina police Cpl. Tim Rodgers said in a written statement.
“Upon officers’ arrival, one shot was heard coming from inside the location,” he said.
SWAT officers responded to the home and evacuated nearby residents, officials said.
When SWAT officers entered the home, they discovered a teenage boy suffering from “what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Rodgers said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No one else was found inside the home, Rodgers added.
No further information was released.

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