An officer with the New York Police Department died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Queens on Wednesday evening—the ninth NYPD officer to complete suicide in 2019.
According to ABC News, this is the seventh time since June that an NYPD officer has died by suicide, and the second death by suicide in the span of just more than 24 hours.
The 56-year-old officer—who has worked for the department for more than 20 years—shot himself at his Laurelton home.
The name of the officer has not been released.
Editor's Note: If you or someone you know has ideation of suicide or is approaching crisis, please know that the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255), provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress. Safe Call Now (1-206-459-3020) offers those services specifically for first responders.
On a website maintained by BlueH.E.L.P.—an organization that tracks officer suicides while simultaneously seeking to prevent such tragedies from occurring—a first responder need only enter a few data points—such as their location and what kind of assistance is needed—and the individual will be provided with a list of options for help from a searchable database dedicated to helping first responders find emotional, financial, spiritual, and other forms of assistance.
