On Monday, Wake County Sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement officers respond to a call involving a man threatening to commit suicide inside a mobile home at the end of Middleton Drive in Garner.
The man who shot and killed himself in his Garner home Monday threatened to commit suicide last summer, according to public records obtained from the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have identified the man as William Paul Johnson, 50, of 8005 Middleton Drive. They notified next of kin last night and earlier today.
At 2:27 p.m. yesterday, a 911 caller reported several shots fired from Johnson’s mobile home. Deputies were dispatched to the area immediately and by 3 p.m. had moved pedestrians away from the home and closed the road to incoming traffic.
For about an hour, neighbors and residents stood out along Rand Road unable to return to their homes while authorities secured the area.
Meanwhile, authorities worked to determine whether anyone was in danger.
“When we arrived, the person who fired the shots wouldn’t come out of the house,” said Phyllis Stephens, spokeswoman for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
By 3:30 p.m., at least six unmarked sheriff’s SUVs appeared at the scene in addition to a fire truck, two EMS vehicles and several members of the Sheriff’s and Raleigh Police’s SWAT team. All camped outside Johnson’s rented residence.
Although not used, the extra firepower was warranted, say officials.
“We had the appropriate personnel there to take care of whatever situation might arise,’” Stephens said.
At around 7:30 p.m., an armored car pulled down the road and drove up to the residence. At 7:40 p.m., authorities entered the residence and found Johnson dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A short time later, neighbors who had stood out in the rain watching the situation unfold, returned to their homes. After five hours, law enforcement officials packed up their gear and drove back up the country road.
The Sheriff’s Office declined to say whether or not anyone else lived at the residence with Johnson. No one else was injured in the incident.
Deputies responded to a suicide threat involving Johnson last August, according to public records. Additional details on that incident were not immediately available.
