(KTLA News) |
NORTHRIDGE -- A man who fatally shot himself in Northridge after deputies tried to serve him with an eviction notice was identified Saturday.
Sheriff's deputies from the Civil Management Unit's Van Nuys office went to the home in the 17000 block of Willard Street around 11 a.m. Friday to serve a court-ordered eviction notice to 54 year old David Smith.
The property manager escorted the deputies to the home, where they announced their presence and asked Smith to open the door, according to Deputy Guillermina Saldana of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
The deputies heard a muffled male voice, the sound of the front door unlocking and several gunshots seconds later, according to a Sheriff's Department statement.
The deputies requested assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Station. The LAPD responded and took command of the incident.
Neighbors were evacuated and a strategic weapons and tactics team responded, according to Los Angeles police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman.
When officers entered the home, they found Smith dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Saldana said.
He was home alone, and no one else was hurt in the incident, according to Saldana.
Authorities say Smith was unemployed and had a reported history of psychological problems and a house full of guns.
It was the second time in less than two months that a person committed suicide while law enforcement was attempting to serve an eviction notice.
On June 24, 43 year old Christopher Agosta shot himself to death while sheriff's deputies were at his front door waiting for a locksmith to arrive so they could gain entry and serve an eviction notice.
Sheriff's deputies from the Civil Management Unit's Van Nuys office went to the home in the 17000 block of Willard Street around 11 a.m. Friday to serve a court-ordered eviction notice to 54 year old David Smith.
The property manager escorted the deputies to the home, where they announced their presence and asked Smith to open the door, according to Deputy Guillermina Saldana of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
The deputies heard a muffled male voice, the sound of the front door unlocking and several gunshots seconds later, according to a Sheriff's Department statement.
The deputies requested assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Station. The LAPD responded and took command of the incident.
Neighbors were evacuated and a strategic weapons and tactics team responded, according to Los Angeles police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman.
When officers entered the home, they found Smith dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Saldana said.
He was home alone, and no one else was hurt in the incident, according to Saldana.
Authorities say Smith was unemployed and had a reported history of psychological problems and a house full of guns.
It was the second time in less than two months that a person committed suicide while law enforcement was attempting to serve an eviction notice.
On June 24, 43 year old Christopher Agosta shot himself to death while sheriff's deputies were at his front door waiting for a locksmith to arrive so they could gain entry and serve an eviction notice.
