Police believe trooper death was suicideA West Virginia State Police corporal was found dead Tuesday in an apparent suicide, shortly after his gun and badge were taken and he was notified that he was the subject of an internal investigation.
Charleston Gazette
By Gary Harki
February 14, 2008
A West Virginia State Police corporal was found dead Tuesday in an apparent suicide, shortly after his gun and badge were taken and he was notified that he was the subject of an internal investigation. Cpl. V.J. Gall, 46, was found dead of a gunshot wound on the back porch of his home, said Joe Thornton, spokesman for the state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. Gall was relieved of duty at about 6 p.m. Tuesday and told he would be placed on administrative leave on Wednesday, Thornton said. After Gall was notified of the internal investigation, "his service revolver and badge were taken," Thornton said. "Not a whole lot occurred after that. Apparently he left"... Gall is the second State Police officer to commit an apparent suicide in the past year. Marlo Gonzales, a 13-year veteran of the force, shot himself in July with his service weapon inside his police cruiser while outside his father-in-law's house, police said... State Police have been studying law enforcement suicides since Gonzales was found in July. He was the first trooper to commit suicide since 1999. A report released late last year on Gonzales' suicide describes a man in emotional turmoil, one who had stopped taking his depression medication and who had suicidal thoughts at least a year before his death. It also describes a man unhappy with his job with the State Police and with his marriage. "The department is still dealing with that," Thornton said of Gonzales' suicide. "Then we have this situation." State Police announced in January that they were working to implement yearly behavioral health screenings for troopers, based on recommendations from a panel studying suicides among law enforcement...
They need to do the same screening for city and county. Those who commit suicide make a choice for themselves, thats one issue, those who injure, kill, falsely arrest, abuse, rape others make a life decision for others.
ReplyDeleteI think we would be better off without police if we cannot monitor this better. Every man for himself.
A lifetime of being a law abiding citizen in wv, I identify more with criminals that with former peers.
trooper Gall was a really great cop no matter what people say, and nothing was ever proved in his wrong doing
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