Ruskin Area Deputy Kills Himself At Home After Reaching Out To Family: Sheriff

RUSKIN, FL — A 23-year veteran deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office took his own life at his Ruskin home Wednesday night, Sheriff Chad Chronister said.

A Hillsborough County 9-1-1 operator received a call from a family member of Deputy Christopher Former, 49, just after 7 p.m. saying he made suicidal threats on the phone to a relative. Officers spoke to Former at his Mira Lago home in Ruskin, and he interacted with them briefly before barricading himself inside his room.

Negotiators and deputies continued speaking to him to try to get him out of his house peacefully. SWAT later entered the home just after 11 p.m., and Former had already taken his life, detectives said.

He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, investigators said.

"My deepest condolences go out to Deputy Former's family and those that knew and loved him," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "While this is a very difficult time for our sheriff's office family, it is times like this where we rely on each other and the community for support. Together we will grieve and try to make sense of what happened."

Former served with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for 23 years, and most recently worked as community resource deputy in the Ruskin area.

Help Available

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal ideations or a mental health crisis, contact the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 2-1-1 or call 9-1-1. Help is also available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.