By Steve Thompson
The Dallas Morning News
GRAND PRAIRIE, Ga. — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed himself Tuesday after a police standoff in Grand Prairie, police said.
Officers went to Mark Juvette’s home in the 2300 block of Avenue H East at 6:55 p.m. after co-workers expressed concern that he had called in sick and had not been heard from in a week.
As police waited to enter the home with a key, several shots were fired through the door, police said. No officers were injured.
Authorities tried to contact Mr. Juvette and eventually used a “pole camera” to find that he was on a living room sofa. When they entered the apartment about 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, they found Mr. Juvette with a gunshot wound in the head.
“The unfortunate thing is that when he took his own life, he took any reasons as to what was causing him to do this with him,” said Grand Prairie police Detective John Brimmer. “He didn’t leave any kind of note behind, didn’t call anybody beforehand to complain about anything that we’re aware of, anyway.”
Officers who searched the home found books about Adolf Hitler, along with a red flag with a black swastika hung in a closet, but police said they had no indication, including from one of his close work partners, that Mr. Juvette was involved in any racist groups.
“We’re not accusing this guy or saying that he was involved with any skinhead or Nazi organization or anything like that,” Detective Brimmer said. “He could have been a memorabilia collector. A lot of people collect stuff from World War II and they specialize in German things.”
Copyright 2008 The Dallas Morning News