A 26-year-old Jacksonville man took his own life by gun Sunday morning in the surf at Varn Park north of Beverly Beach, as law enforcement officers had spotted him and tried to stop him, according to a Flagler County Sheriff’s incident report.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office alerted local authorities that the victim’s boss had contacted police, saying an employee was making suicidal statements and had driven off with a company vehicle. The vehicle is listed in the report as belonging to Stake Center Locating of Dade City. St. Johns authorities had located the vehicle by GPS, at Varn Park, parked there since 10:08 Saturday morning.
The man had been posting comments about self-harm on Facebook and sending texts to friends and family members, one of which clearly stated tht he was “about to walk into the ocean and end it.”
A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy observed the work truck parked at the park, unoccupied, but with its work lights on. A fisherman told the deputy that he’d seen a man walk south on the beach. The deputy spotted the man about 1,000 yards further south. Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney located the man sitting in the sand facing the ocean, parallel with properties in the 3,000 block of North Oceanshore Boulevard, so within clear sights of numerous houses there.
Flagler County FireFlight, the emergency helicopter, arrived on the scene, and several law enforcement officers–deputies and Flagler Beach police–went around one of the residences to make contact with the 26 year old. When the man saw the helicopter and noticed the officers, he “stood up and started walking towards the ocean with a black firearm in his right hand,” the report states, ignoring a deputy’s entreaties to stop. The man kept walking toward, then into, the ocean. He walked 15 feet into the water, turned around, and fired a shot into the sea. He then turned the firearm on himself and fired.
Deputies rushed into the surf, pulled him out and administered life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced deceased at 10:39 a.m.
The area of the incident was then turned into a crime scene, as is routine in such instances, with sheriff’s detectives taking over the scene before the medical examiner took possession of the man’s body for an autopsy to be performed in St. Augustine. A sheriff’s dive team recovered the firearm.
In 2021, the last year for which complete figures are available, the Florida Health Department reports that Flagler County had the ninth-highest suicide rate in the state, out of 67 counties, with 25 suicides, a rate of 22.4 per 100,000 population. The state’s rate was 13.8.
The following resources are available for individuals in crisis:
In Flagler: The Crisis Triage and Treatment Unit (CTTU) is a crisis assessment and referral service for Flagler County residents experiencing behavioral health crisis. It is located at 301 Justice Lane in the Brown & Brown Outpatient building at the Vince Carter Sanctuary in Bunnell. This program is limited to individuals escorted to the program by law enforcement between the hours of noon and midnight daily. Law enforcement is able to transport individuals to SMA to assess and determine the appropriate clinical disposition. When required and appropriate, SMA then transports the individual to a receiving facility in Volusia County.
In Daytona Beach: Stewart-Marchman Act Corporation Crisis Center
1220 Willis Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Crisis Line: (800) 539 – 4228
Available 24 hours.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800/273-8255 (TALK), or use the online Lifeline Crisis Chat, both available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255.
People 60 and older can call the Institute on Aging’s 24-hour, toll-free Friendship Line at 800-971-0016. IOA also makes ongoing outreach calls to lonely older adults.
If you are concerned for someone else, read about warning signs here. For additional resources, see the Speaking of Suicide website.
John Yankovich says
So sad! When you’re having problems go talk to some one, a parent, priest,or friend! They can help you carry the burden!
Laurel says
So sad. I especially feel for the people who saw it. What young people don’t understand is, everything passes. Things change. Hang in there! There are people who CAN help.
TR says
This is sad being he was just 26 yrs old. Apparently he could not fight off the demons he had and his thoughts most like were that the best solution was to end his life. Unfortunately his family and friend have a life time of grief to deal with. Some may ever have thought as to it being their fault because of not noticing the signs for help this young man gave.
Sorry for his friends and family.
ASF says
Tragic!
Michael Van Buren says
So sad and so young. There is always a solution out there. If you are in crisis please call 988. So many people have taken their own lives for temporary problems.
Deborah kenny says
Please be kind please be patient. One small act of kindness can really go along way. May his soul be at peace.
atwp says
Did a child see a body there less than 2 years ago? Suicide is no joke, we will never know why. Sad situation.
Walked in those Shoes says
While well intentioned, those who comment simply to “talk to somebody” likely have never come close to personally experiencing the depth of pain and despair someone feels when in that frame of mind. Having experienced several suicides in my family AND my husband’s (including recently) I can speak to the hopelessness felt by those who carry through. They often can’t “just talk to somebody” because they do not see any hope of things improving. It is a mental health issue. It is a chronic, often biological issue that has gone untreated. There is nothing simple about it, ever.
It isn’t just having a bad day, and “trust me it will get better.” It is – if you are lucky – someone close to you will notice, understand, and make every effort to help you without you asking. It is the difference of those around you recognizing a real crisis from the kind of person who likes to talk just to get attention and drama. I know – I have an immediate family member who has talked about it and threatened it for decades, yet thrives on the attention it creates, with no intention of actually doing something.
I applaud the young man’s employer for trying to help. I hope he bears no guilt; he TRIED, perhaps when nobody else did. My heartfelt sympathy to the young man’s family. I’ve been there and had to process it. Please remember this when your immediate reaction is just to say “it will be okay.” Unless you have walked in that person’s shoes, you truly do not understand. Thanks for taking a moment to think about a different perspective.
Laurel says
Walked: I absolutely agree with you. I think, that for some, time changes things and that can work for some younger people who may think the world is ending because of a breakup, or something we might not think is dramatic. For others, however, there is a mental illness aspect. If I understand correctly, males are more “successful” at suicide than females. Perhaps this may be because males are less likely to talk to someone. Males are supposed to know and fix everything simply by being a guy.
My brother committed suicide. Oddly, even since childhood, I always knew he would though it was never brought up, or even hinted at. Just something I felt. For him, there would be no intervention. Maybe general good health, and male support would have had a positive impact. I was told my grandfather threatened it frequently, but never went through with it. A lovely young man I dated briefly also killed himself, leaving a wife and four kids. Life was overwhelming for such a sweet soul. Now we’re headed back into a toxic manly man direction again, instead of older males understanding and supporting other hurting males. It’s a shame that being sensitive to others is becoming taboo again. That can’t be good.
Being a senior, it breaks my heart to think of someone so young would miss so much of life. It just isn’t right, you know? Just so, so sad, and unnecessary.
Whathehck? says
This is so very sad, such a young life gone.
But why? Why was an helicopter there when officers were so closed to approaching the victim and talk?
Some higher up yahoo needed to make it sensational. Trust the cops not the equipment.
Walked in those Shoes says
@ Laurel
We are definitely on the same page. I lost my brother at age 20 and two first cousins (brother and sister) in their 30’s. Devastating to have so much hurt in one family. Understanding hugs sent your way.
Laurel says
Walked: Wow, a brother and a sister! The young man I dated, his father too committed suicide. I wonder if there is a genetic factor making someone vulnerable? I mean besides the obvious heartbreak of such losses. Social media is becoming a major factor with not only teens, but now younger children too. Girls are made to feel unworthy. Parents need to give their kids phones that only make calls, and monitor computers at home. They need to stop being friends to their kids and take charge for their kids’ sake.
My brother (actually half) was catered to way, way too much in an attempt to make up for his father basically deserting him.
Thanks for the (()) hugs!