Negotiators tried to save suicidal man

A suicidal man whom SWAT team negotiators attempted to help has died.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 9000 block of Windhaven Drive in the Pinery shortly before 12:30 p.m. Dec. 28 on a report of a suicidal adult male armed with a shotgun. First responders secured a perimeter and regional SWAT teams were called in and tried to communicate with the man. He reportedly would not put his gun down and allow officers to assist him.

“Over a period of hours, several attempts to defuse the situation were used to get the male subject to comply with officers and put the gun down,” a statement from the sheriff’s office says. “This included negotiations to no avail.”

Dan Darfler, 62, sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest and was transported with life-threatening injuries to Parker Adventist Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, said coroner Lora Thomas.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office requested that the 18th Judicial Critical Response Team conduct an “impartial and thorough investigation,” which it says is a standard procedure. No shots were fired by law enforcement officers and there were no other injuries.

Darfler’s LinkedIn profile says he was employed with T. Rowe Price as vice president of national sales. He had worked as a sales professional for some of the top investment management companies.

Authorities did not discuss a motive for the suicide and it’s unclear if Darfler left a note. No further information will be released until the conclusion of the CRT investigation.

The coroner’s office recorded five suicides in December, compared with three in December 2011. Thomas said the often-repeated adage about an increase in suicides around the holidays is a myth. Ten suicides were reported in June.

There were 44 suicides in Douglas County in 2012, two fewer than in 2011.