The Nashua (NH) Police Department on Thursday announced that one of its officers completed suicide while visiting family in Seattle, Washington earlier this week.
According to NBC News, the department is publicly sharing the story of the death of Captain Jonathan Lehto by suicide on Monday in order to raise awareness of the plague of suicides across the United States.
The agency said in a statement, "Jon's family and the members of the Nashua Police Department are shocked and saddened by this tragic event," the statement from Nashua Police Chief Michael Carignan said. "We at the Nashua Police Department were stunned to learn Jon died by suicide. Jon ended his life early and we don't know why. We are all left with questions which may never be answered."
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.
