Watsonville Man With Gunshot Wound To Head Found Dead Inside Truck: Police

WATSONVILLE, CA — A dead man was discovered inside a truck parked outside a home in Watsonville Sunday afternoon, and the death is being investigated as a suicide, police said. At 4:17 p.m., officers were dispatched to a home in the area of Brewington and East Lake avenues to conduct a welfare check on a man who was sitting inside a truck that was parked in the driveway of his ex-girlfriend's home. The man was reported to be intoxicated and "passed out" inside the vehicle, police said.

According to police, when the first officer arrived at the scene, the truck's windows were fogged up from the inside. The officer could only see through a portion of the window, throughout which he saw a man lying in the driver's seat with a handgun in his lap.

The officer retreated, established a perimeter around the driveway, and evacuated surrounding residences. Additional officers arrived and attempted to call the man out of the vehicle, but did not get a response, police said.

After two hours of trying to make verbal contact with the man, officers broke two of the truck's windows to see inside. Upon entry to the vehicle, officers discovered the man was deceased with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Police described the victim as a 36-year-old man from Watsonville.

Officials from the Santa Cruz County Coroner's Office arrived and are investigating the death as a suicide, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Watsonville Police Department Investigation Division at (831) 768-3350 or the department's tip line at (831) 768-3544.

By Bay City News

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