Death of man in vacant Menifee lot under investigation

Law enforcement vehicles surround the spot where a deceased adult male was found in a vacant lot Friday. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Police are investigating the death of an adult male in a vacant Menifee lot of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The man, who has not been identified, took his own life near some trees in a grassy lot on the corner of Bradley Road and Cherry Hills Boulevard, said Captain Dave Gutierrez of the Menifee Police Department. The man's death came shortly after a police pursuit that also involved members of the San Bernardino Police Department and at one time shut down part of the Winco and Home Depot parking lot on Case Road in Perris, authorities said.

According to Gutierrez, no shots were fired by police officers and no foul play was suspected. There were no other victims or suspects, he said. The proximity of officers to the subject at the time of his death and other circumstances remain under investigation, he added.

The entire vacant lot, once the site of the Kings Inn and restaurant in the Sun City community, was roped off with police tape while investigators processed the scene beginning at about 4 p.m. The incident took place just a few yards from Fire Station 7 on Bradley Road.

Gutierrez said investigators from both law enforcement departments were working together on the investigation and that no other details were available at this time.

Red star shows the location where an adult male died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday.