Police Investigating Handgun Death of an 81-year-old Salem Nursing Home Resident

SALEM, MA — Police are investigating the death of an 81-year-old resident at Grosvenor Park Health Center in Vinin Square in Salem who reportedly died from self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Essex County District Attorney spokesman Steve O'Connell.

O'Connell confirmed with Patch that at 10:17 p.m. Friday night, police responded to the nursing home for a report of a man who had shot himself. According to O'Connell, foul play is not suspected.

Ray Howell, a spokesperson for Grosvenor Park Health Center issued the following statement to Patch:

“On Friday evening, a resident at Grosvenor Park passed away unexpectedly. We extend our sincere sympathies to the family of the resident and, out of respect for their privacy, we are not providing further information about specifics of the incident at this time.

We can confirm that a member of our clinical team conducted a routine medical check on the patient within an hour before the incident occurred. The facility staff contacted both emergency medical professionals and the police immediately after the incident occurred, as well as reported the incident to the Department of Public Health. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their investigation into this issue. We can say with confidence that there is no threat to the safety of our residents or our employees.

Concurrently, we are conducting our own internal investigation to fully understand the facts and determine if there are any steps we should take to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.”

The district attorney's office is not releasing the man's identity. The firearm used was registered to the deceased, according to O'Connell. It is not yet known how the gun came into the man's possession.

The spokesman also told Patch that firearms are prohibited at the nursing home.

State Police assigned to the Essex County District Attorney's office and Salem Police are investigating the death.