New Haven Area Man Dies of Gunshot Wound; Suicide Suspected

New Haven Area Man Dies of Gunshot Wound; Suicide Suspected - The Missourian: Top Stories

Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012 4:13 pm | Updated: 1:55 pm, Fri May 18, 2012.

New Haven Area Man Dies of Gunshot Wound; Suicide Suspected

A New Haven area man died Wednesday night from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound earlier that day, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office said the man, identified as Bobby J. Sweet, 46, was alive when deputies found him about noon Wednesday in a field, but he died later at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Creve Coeur.

Deputies responded to a residence in the 8000 block of Highway YY, near Highway C, after a family member reported Sweet had sent a text message indicating he was going to commit suicide.

While on the scene, deputies heard a gunshot and during a search located the victim in the field approximately 200 yards north of the residence. He was suffering from a head wound. Deputies found a handgun nearby.

The victim was transported by air ambulance from the scene to Mercy Hospital St. Louis.

Relatives said the man had been depressed over a recent death in the family, the sheriff’s office reported.