Deputy commits suicide in Ukiah

A Mendocino County corrections deputy killed himself Wednesday afternoon, the department's second suicide in less than a year.

Deputy Eric Gore, 38, apparently shot himself at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday as three officers entered his Ukiah apartment to check on his well-being, said Ukiah Police Chief Chris Dewey.

Deputy Brett White shot and killed himself at his Covelo home in February 2007.

Both men had been resident deputies assigned to Covelo until late 2006 and early 2007 when they were disciplined for undisclosed reasons.

Sheriff Tom Allman has refused to discuss why the two men had been disciplined and two others transferred out of Covelo.

"It's a personnel issue," he repeated Wednesday. Allman was the lieutenant in charge of the department's north sector, which includes Covelo, at the time of the incident that led to disciplinary action.

When officers first entered Gore's Waugh Lane apartment Wednesday they did not immediately know whether the shot they heard was fired at them, so they retreated and called for assistance, Dewey said.

Law enforcement and fire officials from multiple agencies surrounded the apartment and evacuated nearby residents and more than two hours passed before they re-entered the residence.

Debbie McMullen and her two-year-old son climbed out a rear window and down a ladder from their apartment, located upstairs from Gore's.

"Everyone scattered" after the shot was fired at about 1:30 p.m., she said.

Residents shivered in the cold wind as they waited to return to their homes.

At about 3:45 p.m., a bomb detecting robot brought by Sonoma County officials was used to determine there was no one in the apartment other than a motionless figure. Officers then re-entered the apartment, where they recovered Gore's body.

Allman said he did not know why Gore shot himself. He described Gore as an exemplary corrections officer since taking the job in April, although he failed to show up for his early morning shift.

"It was an absolute surprise," Allman said.

He said he received a phone call at about 1 a.m., letting him know Gore did not show up for work.

When deputies went to Gore's apartment to check on him, he told them he was not going to work, Allman said.

Later in the day, an off-duty officer tried unsuccessfully to get Gore to answer his door.

Ukiah police were called to the scene at about 1:15 p.m. They obtained a key and entered the apartment just before the shot was fired, Dewey said.

Gore's neighbors said they didn't know him well, but he appeared to be agitated the past two weeks.

"He was driving crazy and stomping around," McMullen said.

Gore had worked for the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office for about 10 years.

He had been a resident deputy in Covelo, a tiny town in a remote valley in northeast Mendocino County from 2004 until 2007, Allman said.

He worked alongside White and two others, a deputy and a supervising sergeant, who transferred out of Covelo following the undisclosed problems in the north county sector.

Covelo residents and law enforcement sources have said the problems stemmed from sexual activities and alcohol use.

White had not been working and was in the process of being discharged from the force when he committed suicide.

Gore was on leave for several months following disciplinary action stemming from his time in Covelo. He accepted a demotion to corrections deputy and returned to work in April, Allman said.

Allman said there is no reason for him to believe the two suicides or the incidents in Covelo were related.

"I have no indication to believe it was," he said.

The death is a tragedy that may never be solved.

"Our prayers are with the family," he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com.