LAWRENCE — State police say a welfare check ended tragically on Sunday.

Troopers responded to Water Street shortly before 10 a.m. that day after receiving a call from a concerned party.

 Once on scene, police made contact with the individual people were concerned about. However, while speaking with the male, police say he picked up a nearby long gun causing troopers to retreat out of the residence for safety. 

A perimeter was set, and the individual barricaded himself in the residence, police said.

Hostage negotiators and a drone operator arrived on scene to help.

Troopers eventually made entry into the residence and located the person with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Unfortunately suicides are a tragic public health concern in St. Lawrence County, and one that officials have been working to address though a variety of education initiatives.

Data from St. Lawrence County shows that from 2017 to 2021 at least 58 people took their own lives here. At least seven of those deaths were among teenagers.

It’s not just a local problem. In 2020, the U.S. had one death by suicide every 11 minutes.

For people ages 10-34, suicide remains a leading cause of death.

Help is available.  St. Lawrence County’s website https://stlawco.gov/ provides a wide range of organizations and services aimed at helping those in need.

Additionally the 988 Lifeline which helps thousands of struggling people overcome suicidal crisis or mental-health related distress every day.

The 988 dialing code connects people via call, text, or chat, to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) where compassionate, accessible care and support are available for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress.

In addition to activating a new dialing code for anyone experiencing suicidal or mental health-related crisis to call, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline also allows text messaging as part of increasing access to services for youth and persons with different abilities. People can also dial or text 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.