A Clay County man took his life at the Worthington Springs Marathon gas station early Tuesday morning following two hours of negotiations with Union County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) deputies.
The man called 911 around 3 a.m. threatening to take his life after he fled Clay County due to a domestic issue and other crimes, according to UCSO Capt. Lyn Williams in a phone interview.
“He called our agency and didn’t even know where in Florida he was,” said Williams.
According to a UCSO social media post, deputies found the vehicle on County Road 18 and State Road 121, stopped him at the gas station and attempted to offer assistance to the man. After two hours, the man decided to take his life with a gun inside his vehicle.
Williams said the man was not wanted and had no active warrant for his arrest, but he had pending charges and knew that law enforcement would be looking for him.
“He started thinking about his future and it spiraled down from there,” Williams said.
Multiple UCSO and Florida Highway Patrol units assisted during the incident. UCSO said the man’s name will not be released at this time pending next of kin notification.