Veteran kills self in parking lot of Phoenix VA office

• Veteran dies by suicide in the parking lot of a Veterans Affairs office in downtown Phoenix.
• An average of 22 veterans a day commit suicide, according to a 2012 report by the VA.
• VA officials urge veterans, family members and friends to use a toll-free crisis hotline.

A local veteran committed suicide in the parking lot of the Department of Veterans Affairs Phoenix Regional Office over the weekend.

The 53-year-old man died at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Phoenix police.

VA officials are working with police on the matter, said Monica Cabrera, a spokeswoman for the agency. The VA office was closed Sunday and VA officials were notified of the death by police, she said.

The facility at 3333 N. Central Ave. administers a variety of benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families, including pensions, home loans, rehabilitation and education benefits.

The veteran had been receiving $130 a month in benefits, Cabrera said. She declined to specify the nature of the benefits, citing privacy concerns.

Cabrera also declined to say what branch of the military the man served in, or when he served.

"At this time, we are unable to provide any details," Cabrera said. "However, we would like to extend our condolences to the family."

Recently, the veteran had been staying at the Central Arizona Shelter Services facility in downtown Phoenix. The facility is the largest provider of emergency shelter and support services for the homeless in Arizona. The veteran largely kept to himself, said a man who answered the phone at the facility Tuesday afternoon.

A witness told police that the veteran drove a truck into the parking lot at the VA office Sunday and sat for a few minutes. The witness heard a loud "crack," then went to investigate, police said.

The witness found the man lying in the parking lot just outside the vehicle with a gun on the ground nearby. It was reported to police, and Fire Department personnel pronounced the veteran dead at the scene, police said.

"A note was found in the victim's vehicle expressing his feelings and saying goodbye," police said in a statement. VA officials declined to say why the man might have been at the VA facility.

A VA study released in 2012 indicated that suicides among military veterans average 22 a day nationwide. The study covered suicides from 1999 to 2010.

Matt Kenney, local director of Concerned Veterans for America, said members of the service organization are trying to gather more information about Sunday's death.

"He left a note. It seemed pretty symbolic," said Kenney, a retired Army infantry commander during the Iraq War. "It's sad something like this had to occur."

Concerned Veterans and other veterans service organizations have been pushing for additional suicide-prevention measures from the VA.

"I was a platoon leader and a commander in the infantry, so you saw a lot of the issues," he said. "Soldiers would come home and battle either alcohol or drug abuse. Whether they were battling PTSD or just being depressed."

Jean Schaefer, a spokeswoman for the Phoenix VA, said an agency team will reach out to the family to offer support and condolences.

"On the clinical side, we begin a protected peer review, which is a very thorough review of a patient's record to determine whether the standard of care was met. And if there are any systemic issues identified through that peer review, we will take steps to fix them," Schaefer said.

Typically, reviews are completed within four months, she said.

Cabrera noted that veterans or family members in need of assistance can call the VA's Veterans Crisis Line, (800) 273-8255, extension 1, which is a toll-free confidential resource that connects veterans, their families and friends to VA responders. The VA also offers an online chat service at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net, and text-message service at 838255.