Mental health crisis ends in suicide of Vail man

The Eagle Valley mental health community was grieving Friday after attempts to render crisis help to a Vail man on Thursday were unsuccessful, ending in his suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot. Here’s the Town of Vail press release:

On Thursday, June 11 at 7:48 p.m., the Vail Police Department responded to a report of a male making threats towards his neighbors at 1612 Matterhorn Circle in West Vail. The complainant was in fear because his neighbor, Ryan Mills, was in possession of multiple firearms in his residence. Officers initially made contact with Mills, 38, at his home. Mills was found to be very agitated and exhibited signs of being in a mental health crisis. Mills refused to speak with officers and retreated into his residence. Mills repeatedly yelled from his apartment for officers to get off his property and leave him alone.

The Eagle Valley Co-Responder Team, made up of law enforcement, mental health clinicians from the Hope Center and paramedics from Eagle County Paramedic Services, responded to the scene and attempted to communicate with Mills. Mills came out of his apartment and spoke with co-responders for a brief period but again retreated inside. Based on his actions and behavior, co-responders decided that Mills should be placed under a mental health hold for his own safety.  

Over the next several hours, co-responders made repeated verbal attempts to get Mills to exit his residence. Mills refused to leave or communicate with co-responders in any meaningful way. Mills was becoming more agitated and officers felt that their presence was escalating the situation. Mills had committed no criminal violations and had not made any suicidal statements. The Vail Police Department was unwilling to use force to remove Mills from his apartment and cleared the scene at 10:16 p.m.

At 5:55 a.m. Friday, June 12, Mills was found deceased from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the backyard of his residence. A small caliber revolver was found in proximity to Mills. The coroner responded and will determine the exact cause of death in the coming days.

The Vail Police Department has extended its sympathies to the Mills family. “The loss of a loved one is always tragic and is further compounded by suicide,” said Chief Dwight Henninger. “The Vail Police Department along with Eagle Valley Behavioral Health and the Hope Center have worked tirelessly to prevent suicide and offer services to those in crisis.”

The staff of Eagle Valley Behavioral Health is also deeply saddened by the circumstances. “On behalf of everyone at Eagle Valley Behavioral Health, an outreach of Vail Health, we are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Mr. Mills. We thank our law enforcement officers and Hope Center crisis team for their response to this complex situation, and their ability to minimize potential safety risks to the neighboring community,” said Dr. Casey Wolfington, Community Behavioral Health Director for Eagle Valley Behavioral Health. “Although we have made great strides in access to and affordability of behavioral health care in our community, we recognize that there is still a substantial amount of work to be done. Every loss has a devastating impact on our community. One loss is one loss too many. We encourage family, friends and community members to utilize Olivia’s Fund to receive no cost behavioral health services,” Wolfington continued. “We are here for you, and we grieve with you.”

For more information on local behavioral health resources, visit www.eaglevalleybh.org,  www.speakupreachout.org or call the Eagle Hope Center at 970-306-4673, Colorado Crisis Services 844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255.