Pennsylvania State Police in Jefferson County are investigating the apparent suicide of a man in front of their DuBois barracks in Falls Creek.

This afternoon state police said the victim has been identified as 57-year-old William Bell of Reynoldsville.

Police said Bell drove a Buick sedan to the barracks around 7:30 a.m., parked it a few spaces from the front door and shot himself.


6 News does not typically report suicides, and state police said they normally do not investigate suicides to this degree. But because the man shot and killed himself right outside of the barracks' front door, the parking lot is now considered a crime scene.


"Because of its location, the investigation is taking on a little bit of a different meaning than it normally would," said Trooper Jamie Levier of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Levier said investigators do not know why Bell took his own life or why he chose the DuBois barracks' parking lot.


"At this time, we're still conducting the investigation. I'm sure that there are a lot of questions that we'll need to have answered but I don't have any of that at this time," Levier said.

DuBois state police were assisted by troopers from state police in Punxsutawney, Clearfield and a state police forensics unit.