COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A man whose home was foreclosed as he struggled to find work fatally shot himself moments after sheriff’s deputies went to his house to evict him, authorities said.
El Paso County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene said 55-year-old Wayne “Mike” Anderson went upstairs and shot himself after a deputy and real estate agent knocked on his door Wednesday, days after they had warned him they would be coming.
“We do evictions almost every day,” Sevene said. “We usually post the writ a few days prior so that people know we’re coming, and to give them the opportunity to get their things out. So I’m pretty sure he knew that they were coming.”
The Colorado Springs Gazette says Anderson’s home had been auctioned for $131,073 on Oct. 1.
Anderson’s friends said he had been depressed and unable to find work since losing his job as a surgical nurse two years ago. Friends said Anderson borrowed against the home he had inherited from his parents, which they bought 30 years ago.
The Gazette reported Anderson took out a $116,000 mortgage in 2007 at a 12 percent interest rate—a number that is “shockingly high,” said Tom Mowle, the El Paso County Public Trustee.
“He felt like he was in a corner, and that’s what he had to do to free himself,” said family friend Bennie Walker.
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Information from: The Gazette,
