Local News in Brief : Police Identify Man Who Shot Himself

A Van Nuys man, who police say threatened suicide and then shot himself once in the chest as police surrounded his Van Nuys home late Monday afternoon, has been identified as John Davis, police said Tuesday.

Davis, 46, was in the intensive care unit at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Van Nuys after the 5 p.m. shooting at his home in the 1400 block of Runnymede Street. Hospital spokesman Kris Bourland said the hospital is prohibited under state and federal law from releasing information on Davis’ condition because his injury was incurred in an attempted suicide.

A police special weapons and tactics unit was called to the house after Davis called a hospital psychiatric unit threatening to shoot himself, police said. Police initially thought that the armed man might be holding hostages inside the residence. There were no hostages inside, however, and no other shots were fired.