FLAGSTAFF — On Saturday at 4:35 pm the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a third party regarding a subject residing in Kachina Village who made statements about harming himself. While deputies were responding to the home, information was obtained that the presence of Sheriff’s Deputies could further aggravate the subject who was armed with multiple firearms. Deputies staged in the area of the residence to establish a perimeter around the home in case the subject attempted to leave the residence.

From these staged locations deputies reached out to family members and friends of the subject in an attempt to resolve the situation peacefully. Deputies were able to meet with the subject’s father and attempted telephone contact. This telephone call ended without success in talking the subject out of the home. During this incident deputies learned the subject in crisis was a military veteran with combat deployments overseas. Deputies were able to locate another local veteran and utilized him to try to talk the subject into a peaceful solution; however, this was to no avail.

At 8:30 pm deputies received information that the subject may have ingested a large number of prescription medications. Multiple attempts to contact the subject by telephone continued to be unsuccessful. Deputies utilized thermal imaging equipment from Highlands Fire Department in an attempt to determine the subject’s location inside the home. Sheriff’s Office personnel maintained a perimeter around the residence. At 9:53 pm deputies entered the home and discovered the subject unresponsive on the living room couch holding a loaded semi-automatic pistol against his chest and a loaded high caliber rifle on the floor next to him.

Deputies secured the weapons and immediately began rendering aid to the unconscious and unresponsive subject. Highlands Fire Department Medical Personnel and Guardian Medics who were staged at a safe location near the incident responded as soon as Deputies rendered the scene safe. Guardian transported the unconscious man to the Flagstaff Medical Level 1 Trauma Center where he was treated and later regained consciousness. It is believed this individual will survive.