Bella Vista man reports finding suicide victim – then fatally shoots self

BELLA VISTA — Officials are investigating a suspected suicide after a person called 911 and reported finding a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his driveway. Based on radio traffic at the time, it is believed the man then walked out to his driveway and fatally shot himself.

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Emergency personnel were dispatched to the 24000 block of Shirley Dr. around 2:30 p.m., when a man called 911 and told SHASCOM emergency dispatchers he had discovered an unresponsive adult male in his driveway. Radio traffic indicated the man told dispatchers that the person in his driveway had a gun in his hand and appeared to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

About ten minutes later a woman called 911 and reported that her husband had just picked up a gun, walked outside, and possibly shot himself in the driveway of the couple’s home. The woman also told dispatchers she believed her husband was deceased.

When officials arrived at the scene they found the man’s lifeless body along the home’s long and sweeping driveway and confirmed that he had succumbed to a gunshot wound. Coroner’s officials were later requested to the scene to assist with the shooting investigation.

The victim’s name has not been publicly released, pending further investigation.

As of this report, coroner’s officials were still responding to the location and the sheriff’s investigation is active and ongoing at the scene.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.