Fla. deputy dies by suicide while on duty

Sheriff Paul Blackman remembered Deputy Paul Robitaille as “a great employee with a great attitude” and vowed to assist Robitaille’s family and colleagues in coping with their sudden loss

February 01, 2024 10:56 AM

Florida sheriff’s deputy commits suicide outside police headquarters while on duty — “Last year, more than 50,000 Americans died by suicide and 128 of those were law enforcement officers,” Blackman’s office posted, adding that “one is too many.”

Editor’s Note: Suicide is always preventable. If you are having thoughts of suicide or feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately at 988. Counselors are also available to chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Remember: You deserve to be supported, and it is never too late to seek help. Speak with someone today.

By Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News

SEBRING, Fla. — A sheriff’s deputy died by suicide outside his central Florida headquarters while on duty Wednesday morning.

Paul Robitaille, 56, asked to take a break around 10 a.m. and was seen speaking to another deputy outside the Highlands County Courthouse where he worked as a detention deputy, before being found dead less than a block away, police said on Facebook.

“At no time did Deputy Robitaille give any indication something was wrong,” the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office wrote. “A short time later, he was found near the northeast corner of the HCSO headquarters, deceased from a self-inflicted wound.”

Robitaille, who was married with three children — one of whom worked as a part-time deputy for the sheriff’s office — was shot with his own service weapon. His death happened 100 miles southeast of Tampa, in the landlocked town of Sebring.

Robitaille had been with the agency since March 2007. Sheriff Paul Blackman remembered his deputy as “a great employee with a great attitude” and vowed to assist Robitaille’s family and colleagues in coping with their sudden loss.

“Last year, more than 50,000 Americans died by suicide and 128 of those were law enforcement officers,” Blackman’s office posted, adding that “one is too many.”

The sheriff urged anyone considering self-harm to seek help, which includes contacting authorities for assistance.

Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Between 2001 and 2021, men were roughly four times more likely to take their own lives than women.