Police: Man died of self-inflicted gunshot wound

The incident began with a predawn 911 call from a woman in Levy Park. Her husband was outside in the front yard with a  handgun. He threatened to kill himself.

Minutes later, two Tallahassee police officers arrived at the house on 8th Avenue and made contact with 36-year-old Patrick G. Keeney. Two shots rang out.

Investigators said Keeney died of a self-inflicted gunshot at the home he shared with his wife.

She called dispatchers around 4:50 a.m. to report Keeney was suicidal and in the front yard with a handgun.

Tallahassee Police patrol officers who were not far away, Douglas Kutchera and Matthew Smidt, arrived at the Levy Park home and tried to talk to Keeney.

Two shots were fired during the incident: One bullet fired by Kutchera was found at the scene, but investigators do not believe it killed Keeney. The other bullet was the self-inflicted shot fired by Keeney, police said.

TPD Deputy Chief Darrell Furuseth said investigators are trying to determine which shot came first.

Kutchera’s bullet was recovered from a fixed object at the scene.

“The preliminary discovery is that Officer Kutchera’s bullet was not responsible for injuring the male,” Furuseth said.

Both officers administered CPR to Keeney and called EMS.

TPD spokesman David Northway said he could not comment on how many people were home at the time of the shooting.  A woman with a small child was escorted from the premises by officers. Northway said officers were called to the house one other time for a noise complaint.

Kutchera and Smidt have been put on paid administrative leave during the investigation into Keeney’s death.

Kutchera has been with TPD since 1998 and has received a half dozen oral reprimands and a written reprimand.

Smidt has been a TPD officer since 2007 and was suspended in 2013 for conduct unbecoming of an officer and failure to provide proper medical aid. Smidt appealed the discipline, connected to the August 2013 DUI arrest of Christina West who suffered broken bones and other injuries.

Both officers routinely have received high marks on annual reviews from their superiors.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.