A man found with a single gunshot wound to his head at the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery allegedly committed suicide Friday morning, authorities said.
Military and civilian police responded to reports of a single shot fired at about 10 a.m. Friday in Section 64, near the Columbarium Courts, Wash., spokeswoman Melissa Bohan (BOH'-an) said. The man was discovered suffering from the gunshot near a tree as police arrived, but was later pronounced dead at the scene.
"It appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Dustin Sternbeck, a spokesman for the Arlington County Police Department, said in a telephone interview with Military.com. A weapon of unknown make and model was retrieved from the scene, he added.
Officials positively identified the man and confirmed that he was not an active-duty service member. Further information is being withheld until his family and friends have been notified, NBC News reported. An Arlington County police spokesman described him as an "elderly."
Bohan said all indications are that the shooting is "a tragic and isolated incident," with no threat to the public. She said there were no witnesses.
"Although we have not completely ruled it out in order to conduct a complete and thorough investigation, we do not suspect foul play at this point in the investigation," added Chris Grey, the spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Command.
The victim's chosen suicide spot contains the remains of 50 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon, overlooking the Pentagon's west side, where hijackers crashed a commercial airliner into the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters.
The cemetery remains open to visitors and families and graveside services are continuing as planned, the Army Criminal Investigation Command said.
No further information was given, and the investigation continues by the lead agency of The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
