Washington Hazmat Team Responds to `Chemical Suicide`

A hazardous-materials team and bomb squad were called Sunday morning to the parking lot of an East Bremerton-area church, where a man's body was found in a pickup along with a sign on the driver's window warning people to steer clear of the vehicle because of a deadly gas.

Kitsap County sheriff's Deputy Scott Wilson said the case is a suicide, apparently similar to others across the nation in which common chemicals are used to create a colorless gas that is toxic to suicide victims but also potentially harmful to police officers, medics and others who get close.

In this case, Wilson said, the hazmat team from nearby Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor took measurements and determined that the level of gas was not high enough to cause an explosion.

Wilson said the victim was a 28-year-old man who lived in the area. His name has not been released publicly, though Wilson said his family has been notified of his death.

Reports of chemical suicides are on the rise across the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One study documented 18 cases last year, up from two in 2008.

And such suicides have a wider impact: From 2006 to 2010, six states, including Washington, reported a total of 10 cases that killed nine people, injured four police officers, and required the decontamination of 32 people, according to the CDC. The agency said Japan has seen hundreds of such suicides.

After the level of gas was determined to be low, the man's body was removed from the truck, Wilson said.

The black pickup, parked outside Family of God Lutheran Church in Bremerton, seemed out of place to pastor Sigi Helgeson when she arrived at the church about 8 a.m.

A handmade sign tacked to the driver's window warned people not to come near the truck because of a dangerous gas. "Call 911" was written on the sign in several places. When she saw it, Helgeson parked at the opposite end of the lot and called 911.

Members of the church's band arrived to rehearse before the two services, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Helgeson canceled the services and she and three others gathered in the church's sanctuary to pray.

"We are so sorry for the family and for the person," she said.

A suicide note was found at the man's residence, Wilson said. "It's very tragic when somebody reaches a stage of despondency with all of the resources we have available," he said.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service