Man Shoots Himself Near 3 SMC Schools, Church

MENLO PARK, CA — A Menlo Park church, two schools, and several residences went on lockdown Tuesday afternoon following reports of a missing man carrying a handgun, according to the Menlo Park Police Department. The man later shot himself, police said. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office confirmed to The Almanac Wednesday that the man was 22-year-old Alexis Valverde Ruiz from Riverbank, a city near Modesto.

At around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Menlo Park police were alerted to a man with a firearm in a vehicle parked on the 2200 block of Avy Avenue, according to an MPPD department news release. The man appeared to match information they'd received about a missing, suicidal man from outside San Mateo County alleged to be carrying a handgun.

Officers secured the scene around the occupied vehicle, and surrounding institutions, businesses, and residences were alerted to stay inside. That included Saint Denis Church, the Phillips Brooks School's elementary school campus, the Las Lomitas Elementary School District Office, and La Entrada Middle School, according to a report in The Almanac.

Police said crisis negotiators made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact Ruiz, who was inside the vehicle with a handgun on his chest. Through drones, an armored vehicle, and ballistic shield, officers confirmed that the person was dead of a gunshot wound.

The secure area was lifted shortly after, police said. Many students from nearby schools went home early, according to The Almanac. Las Lomitas Elementary School also initiated a shelter-in-place, meaning that instruction continued, but students stayed in their classrooms, according to a message from Principal Alain Camou reported in The Almanac. Camou also said that a bus for kindergarten and Pre-K students was canceled.

Help is available 24/7. If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SEE ALSO:

• Lockdown Lifted At San Mateo School After Possible Armed Suspects Reported: Police
• Caller Threatens To 'Shoot Up' Bay Area School: Police