Lt. Pete Van Arnum
On Friday the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office received information that a suicidal man was in the forest behind Heavenly Ski resort. The man had posted a Facebook video of himself, which depicted him in this forested area, leaving a message to his family.
The man gave the GPS coordinates of his location on the the video. Other recent Facebook postings depicted the subject with a handgun wearing a military gas mask, and other photos of a .308 scoped sniper rifle and military backpack.
Information was developed that the subject was a Marine veteran who had served in Iraq, was despondent, and had left his residence Thursday night with the .308 rifle, a 45-caliber handgun and backpack.
Due to the risk to public safety, the El Dorado Sheriff’s SWAT Team responded to the area to locate the man. With the assistance of a California Highway Patrol helicopter, the man was located deceased in a wooded area off Sherman Way in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
The Fremont, Calif., man died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The rifle and handgun were recovered at the scene.