An off-duty officer with the Hayward (CA) Police Department was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at an area park on Saturday morning.
According to East Bay Times, the officer—whose name has not yet been released—was considered by the agency and his colleagues to be "an employee in good standing and he had no issues we were aware of," Hayward police spokeswoman Officer Claudia Mau said
Flags in Hayward were at half-staff Monday.
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.