Coroner's Finding: Mr J

76y · Male·contact range gunshot wound to the head, self-inflicted

A 76-year-old man with bilateral leg amputations maintained independent living until presenting with syncope. Hospital evaluation identified ischemic heart disease; he refused angiography and was discharged. Post-discharge, he developed depressive symptoms, became reclusive, and developed health anxieties including unfounded beliefs about bowel cancer. He ceased taking cardiac medications and deteriorated physically and mentally. Friends and family noted significant behavioural changes but did not anticipate suicide risk. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The coroner noted that unregistered firearms in his possession provided means for self-harm, and that removal of these weapons might have created opportunity for intervention regarding his physical and mental health, though preventability remains uncertain.