Man dies of self-inflicted gunshot in Polebridge

A man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Polebridge as officers from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Border Patrol were attempting to talk him to safety Sunday night.

The 46-year-old man left his home near Columbia Falls on Sunday evening and stated he intended to harm himself, according to a Flathead County sheriff’s Office press release.

The man parked his pickup at Polebridge, which is where emergency responders found him. As officers tried to talk to the man, he got out of his vehicle around 11 p.m. and shot himself.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff Chuck Curry said it was abnormal for the department to announce suicides.

“But suicides in a public place with us in attendance are rare, and it garnered community interest,” Curry said.

The incident is under investigation by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.