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A Logan resident faces criminal charges for allegedly offering a handgun to his suicidal friend and telling him to pull the trigger if he wanted to die.
The distraught man then fatally shot himself.
The Tribune typically does not identify suicide victims.
In charges filed last week, police wrote that the man who killed himself had argued with his girlfriend June 12 and sent text messages to a friend, saying he wanted to end his life. The next morning, the man, 20, went with his girlfriend and the friend to the home of 48-year-old David Schofield "for assistance in dealing with [the victim's] depression issues," police wrote.
The friend and girlfriend both reportedly told investigators that Schofield got out a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, gave it to the 20-year-old, who was sitting on the couch. The friend and girlfriend recalled Schofield saying, approximately, "If you want to do it, then pull the trigger."
"At that time, [the 20-year-old] put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger," police wrote.
Schofield was charged in 1st District Court with second-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person for owning the gun despite a 1997 felony conviction in Arizona for aggravated assault. Police wrote Schofield claimed he received the gun from a relative "some time ago" and has kept it in a lock box in his bedroom.
Schofield was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment for giving the gun to a person who was threatening suicide.
"This case cries out for a charge that tells the community this is not appropriate; this is the wrong way to approach a person who's in crisis," said Cache County prosecutor James Swink. "Call 911, call a family member. Take this person to a safe place. The appropriate action is to find help, not to offer a weapon so they can kill themselves."
Swink said it is the first case he has filed where a suspect allegedly facilitated another person's suicide.
"In a nearly 20-year career, I don't know of any other case like this," he said.
A warrant was issued for Schofield's arrest on Friday, but police wrote in charges that they cannot find Schofield and believe he has fled the state.
Twitter: @erinalberty