Probable Suicide

During the early evening hours of May 2nd, a ranger found the body of a 74-year-old Grand Junction man who had apparently shot himself in the abdomen with a .22 caliber handgun near the Red Canyon View overlook.  The ranger was patrolling Rim Rock Drive when he came upon an unoccupied pickup truck at the overlook. He looked inside the truck and saw some funeral arrangement paperwork on the front seat, a set of keys and a wallet on the center console, and an empty gun box on the floor on the passenger side. The ranger searched the area for approximately an hour but was unable to find the driver.  About two hours later, the ranger returned to the overlook and found the driver about 50 feet from his truck and about 8 feet below the overlook. Rangers, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and the local county coroner are investigating.