Deputies from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office and officers with Highlands Police Department responded to a call reporting a gun shot at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital on Tuesday morning.
When officers arrived, they found a white male deceased in the hospital parking lot.
“Based on the evidence we gathered at the scene, we believe this was a suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound,” Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland said. “We found items inside the victim’s vehicle and also at his residence that indicated suicide.”
According to Macon County 911 computer aided dispatch (CAD) reports, a call came in to 911 at 7:05 a.m. on Tuesday from an employee at HCH who reported finding a male subject of unknown age deceased in the parking lot. A second 911 call at 7:31 a.m. came from the victim’s wife who informed dispatchers she had found a note from deceased and that she was unable to get in contact with him.
No information about the identity of the deceased was available as of press time.
“We do not believe that this incident ever presented any threat to the hospital or its staff, there were no 911 calls prior to the act itself which occurred in the parking lot,” Holland said. “We are working with the Highlands Police Department as we continue to gather information and the investigation is ongoing.”
Along with HPD and MCSO personnel, crews from Highlands Fire and Rescue and Highlands EMS also provided mutual aid at the scene.
By Ryan Hanchett