Humboldt County’s Coroner’s Office press release:

On 05-21-2015 at about 3:20 PM Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to 162 6th Street, Alderpoint, regarding a reported gunshot victim.

Upon arrival Deputies located a deceased adult male with a single gunshot wound to the head. Further investigation determined that the fatal injury was self-inflicted.

The deceased person was identified as Darrol Courtney Raven, age 43, of Alderpoint.

[Note: It’s rare that law enforcement provides information about suicide cases, so the Outpost was a bit puzzled when the Coroner’s Office emailed this identity to us and other local media. We inquired if there was some special reason for the release and received a prompt reply from Ernie Stewart, chief deputy coroner.

“Numerous press inquiries. As a matter of office protocol, I do not release any information unless it is released to all news agencies equally,” Stewart wrote.]