Fairchild National Guardsman commits suicide in public

A National Guardsman from Fairchild Air Force Base committed suicide Saturday afternoon next to the path of a public race on Government Way. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 2:15 p.m. from a family member of the deceased man warning that he sounded distraught and might kill himself. Minutes later, police showed up outside the Fort George Wright Cemetery where the man was, but he had already shot himself to death. Police did not specify whether the man shot himself in the cemetery or just outside. A charity fundraiser called the Dirty Dash, which sent runners racing through a muddy obstacle course, took place at the time of the shooting. Participants passed the cemetery on the last mile the race, but police said no runners appeared to hear the gunshot. The identity of the man has not been released.