Livermore Man Who Fatally Shot Himself Had History of Mental Illness

LIVERMORE, CA: A 66-year-old man who was suicidal and had a history of mental illness died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside Livermore police headquarters early this morning in an incident in which a police officer also fired four shots, police said.

Authorities identified the man as Livermore resident George Biehs. Biehs' family called police at about 1 a.m. today to report that he was missing, had left a suicide note and had a history of mental illness, Livermore police spokesman Officer Art Rosas said.

An officer who learned that Biehs owned firearms responded to the area where he lived but couldn't find him and returned to the police station at about 3 a.m., according to Rosas. But the officer then spotted Biehs parked in a car outside the Pacific Avenue entrance to the police station, which has its main entrance at 1110 S. Livermore Ave., and conducted a welfare check on him, Rosas said.

The officer saw that Biehs was armed with a shotgun so he retreated and broadcast an alert over the police radio system that Biehs was armed, according to Rosas. A second officer then arrived at the scene and heard a shotgun blast and glass in the rear window of Biehs' car shattering, Rosas said. Believing that the first officer was under fire and that there was a threat to public safety because there are several apartments in the area, the second officer then fired four shots at Biehs, according to Rosas.

After the two officers called out to Biehs and didn't get a response, they carefully approached his car and discovered he was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Rosas said. At this point, investigators don't know if the shots fired by the second officer struck Biehs but they believe that he died from the wounds he suffered when he apparently shot himself, according to Rosas. Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard policy in officer-involved shootings, Rosas said.

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By Bay City News

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