Man fatally shoots himself in La Verne Police Department parking lot

A Glendale man killed himself Monday morning when he shot himself in the chest while sitting inside his car in the La Verne Police Department parking lot, officials said.

Los Angeles County coroner’s officials identified him as 59-year-old Roger Hickson, who police Lt. Tom Frayeh said lived in Glendale but worked at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in La Verne.

Hickson pulled into the Police Department parking lot about 6:50 a.m. He then drove into the sally port, where he was stopped, and sat inside his car for a few minutes, Frayeh told the Glendale News-Press.

Moments later, police heard a gunshot. When they ran outside, they discovered Hickson slumped over in his seat.

“It was quite surprising,” Frayeh said.

At first, police were taken aback because Hickson’s car looked similar to vehicles used by the department’s detectives, he said.

Hickson left a note, which Frayeh said coroner’s investigators took as evidence.

Still, Hickson’s family told police that they could find “no apparent reason” for him wanting to kill himself, Frayeh said. He added that they were shocked by his death.

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veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Rocha writes for Times Community News.