On Saturday, May 4, at 5:32 p.m., the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received an emergency call that a man planned to commit suicide at Bethpage Camp-Resort near Urbanna, reported Maj. M.E. Sampson of the MCSO.
According to Maj. Sampson, the caller was an off-duty police officer who had been told by a woman that her husband was driving to the campground, and planned to kill himself there. The threat appeared to be in relation to a domestic problem.
Four Middlesex deputies responded to the campground, where the Middlesex High School prom was scheduled for the same evening.
One of the deputies was stationed near the man’s camper. The man entered the campground at 5:57 p.m. and drove to his camper where he exited his truck and quickly walked towards his camper. He was met by a deputy, who reportedly attempted to deescalate the situation. The 63-year-old Mechanicsville man ignored the deputy’s command to stop and talk to him and went inside the camper.
He came back to the doorway with a pistol in his hand. Two deputies immediately drew their service weapons and ordered him to drop the gun. He ignored their order.
He stepped out of the camper and sat in a chair. He told deputies he didn’t want to shoot them. A deputy responded that they didn’t want to shoot him.
The man had the gun pointed towards the side of his head and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground. The bullet had only put a gash in his head. Deputies began medical treatment until emergency medical technicians arrived.
For his safety, an emergency protection order was obtained. He was transported in an ambulance, accompanied by a deputy, to Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester.
The man told one of the deputies that if they hadn’t been there he would be dead.
Maj. Sampson said the man could be charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, but has not been charged as of Monday. In addition, the Middlesex Department of Social Services was notified of the incident, since the man had two grandchildren in his vehicle.
The man is under a temporary detention order, and will be evaluated before being released.
