Self-inflicted gunshot fired in the presence of the the police

Counseling services are being made available to members of the Oconee Sheriff’s Office and the Walhalla police who were present early Thursday when a man shot himself on W. Main Street in Walhalla.  The wounded man later was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the coroner has ruled the case a suicide.  According to Jimmy Watt, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, incidents such as this often tax the emotions of all involved and counseling can be helpful.  In this case, a deputy responded to investigate a domestic incident complaint at a home near Walhalla.  This led to a traffic stop in the parking lot of a store during yesterday’s morning’s early hours, a time when the store was closed.  At one point, the man retreated to his vehicle and reached for something that turned out to be a firearm and pointed the gun at himself.  Officers attempted to negotiate for the man to back down, but he eventually shot himself and was taken to a Greenville hospital where he died about two hours later. Watt says no shots were fired by law enforcement officers.