Suicide Likely In Boy's Shooting Death: Police

CLEARWATER, FL — The Clearwater Police Department is investigating a Thursday morning shooting that left a 10-year-old boy dead.

According to the agency, police were called to the 700 block of South Lincoln Avenue at the Lindru Garden Apartments shortly before 8:30 a.m. Jan. 5. When they arrived, they found the boy dead in a bottom-floor apartment.

The boy has been identified as Ian Sevostjanov, a fifth-grader at Belleair Elementary. Police say the child was home with his mother, Olga Grusetskaja, 49, when the shooting occurred. The boy's father and brother were not home at the time, the police department wrote in an email to media.

Police detectives believe Sevostjanov "fired the lone gunshot this morning in what appears to be a suicide," a Thursday afternoon email from the agency said. "His mother was addressing a behavior issue as he was preparing to go to school."

Police say Ian's mother sent him a room in the apartment. There, however, "he obtained a gun."

The investigation remains active, the agency noted. Police are looking into how the firearm was stored and other factors related to the case.

No further information about the shooting is being released at this time.

With an estimated 42,000 deaths attributed to suicide annually, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists this as the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, there are resources available to help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433). Its website offers services including a live chat.

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