A man died by suicide Tuesday morning at the scene of a car crash east of Alcova Reservoir, county authorities said.
The man -- whom the Natrona County Coroner's Office identified on Wednesday morning as Bret Fox, 60, of Sheridan -- was thought to be intoxicated at the time of the wreck, according to a sheriff's spokesman.
Sgt. Taylor Courtney said that Fox collided with another vehicle at about 11 a.m. on Wyoming Highway 220 a few miles east of the reservoir. A person in the other vehicle was already on the phone with 911 when Fox shot himself.
The coroner's office told the Star-Tribune on Wednesday that it had determined Fox died by suicide by gunshot. Other people involved in the wreck had suffered minor physical injuries, according to Courtney.
Wyoming has the second-highest suicide rate in the country, according to recent data. The vast majority of people who die by suicide in Wyoming complete the act with a firearm.
People who are suicidal and those close to them can call the national suicide prevention hotline at: 800-273-TALK (8255), which is open all hours and can provide support, information and local resources.
Shane Sanderson
Crime and Courts Reporter
Shane Sanderson joined the Star-Tribune in 2017. He covers courts and law enforcement agencies in Natrona County and across the state. Shane studied journalism at the University of Missouri and worked at newspapers there before moving to Wyoming.
