Incident in Golden Hills ended in suicide
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An ambulance is shown on standby as Kern County Sheriffs Office deputies, assisted by Tehachapi Police, responded to a call of a despondent man in Golden Hills Friday afternoon. Photo by Nick Smirnoff
A man who shot himself in the driveway of a Golden Hills home Thursday afternoon is dead, the Kern County Sheriff's Office has reported.
According to Sgt. Doug Wilson of the Kern County Sheriff's Tehachapi Substation, Ben Smith, 33, of Golden Hills committed suicide with a single shot just after 1 p.m.
About an hour earlier, deputies responded to the home on Black Oak Drive west of Woodford-Tehachapi Road after receiving a call about an individual threatening suicide.
Authorities attempted to negotiate with Smith who was reported to have asked to talk with a veteran.
According to Wilson, Smith was believed to be having mental problems, possibly related to tours of duty in the Middle East.
Additional information will be published when it is available.
