Alaska State Troopers on Sunday went to a report of a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to a trooper press release, at about 3 p.m. July 7 troopers responded to a Thurmond Avenue home in Anchor Point where they found a 58-year-old Anchor Point man had taken his own life by shooting himself with a handgun. Next of kin were at the home. The man’s remains were taken to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage for an examination.

The death is the second suicide by firearm this month. On July 1, Homer Police received a report of a 32-year-old Anchorage man found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the woods near Paul Banks Elementary School.

The Center, Homer’s community mental health service, encourages people to be aware of warning signs of suicide, including threatening to hurt or kill oneself; looking for ways to kill oneself, including access to firearms or pills and talking or writing about death, dying and suicide outside a person’s normal behavior. 

The Center offers 24-hour crisis help for people with suicidal thoughts. Walk-in help is available 8:30 a.m.– 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at The Center, 3948 Ben Walters Lane. Call 907-235-7701, 235-0247 at South Peninsula Hospital or 911 evenings, weekends and holidays, or walk into the hospital emergency room to access an on-call mental health clinician. Online help is available at www.carelinealaska.com, the statewide crisis intervention hotline, and www.stopsuicidealaska.org. Careline also has a toll-free number at
877-266-4357. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-TALK (8255).

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.