Update 4:23 p.m.
HELENA — Lewis and Clark County Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton reports that the manner of death for the deceased juvenile was suicide.
The deceased was a student at Capital High. MTN will not be reporting the identity of the student.
"Our deepest condolences from everyone in my office to the family," said Dutton in a statement.
Helena Public Schools Superintendent Rex Weltz released the followings statement Friday afternoon:
Dear Helena Public Schools Community,
It is with much sadness that I write to let you know that a male student at Capital High School died this afternoon in a single incident across the street from the campus. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
We ask that you please respect the family’s privacy as they reach out to loved ones. We will make information available next week on how the family wishes to be supported by our Helena Public Schools community.
Additional counseling staff are on site now at Capital High School and will continue to be available for students and staff on Monday. Now is a good time to check in with young people in your life who may be affected by this tragedy. We will continue to share details on student support resources as they become available.
Please take care of yourselves and your families this weekend.
Respectfully,
Rex Weltz
Superintendent, Helena Public Schools
If you or a loved one are having thoughts of suicide, please reach out.
The Montana Suicide Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 or you can text “MT” to 741 741. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
More information about resources available for suicide prevention and survivor of suicide loss can be found here.
Shodair Children's Hospital's Outpatient Mental Health Services is available to talk with any person needing support immediately. Please call 444-1126 to set up a time to meet.
Peer support groups will be held for free at 1889 Coffee House at 1800 Prospect Ave. Friday 11/12, Saturday 11/13, and Sunday 11/14 from 7 to 9 p.m. Resources available for parents for safety planning.
Refreshments provided.
MTN Statement
We want to share with you, our viewers, a short editorial note about our coverage of this story.
At MTN we don't typically cover individual acts of suicide. Instead, we focus on the issue as a whole and how leaders and members of our community are addressing the epidemic of suicide. However, there are times and circumstances where we need to look beyond our guidelines. We chose to report this story based on many factors, including but not limited to, the age of the individual, the proximity to Capital High School, its impact on the school and the time of day the incident occurred. Suicide is a serious public health issue in the community and we want to be transparent on how, when and why we cover this important topic.
Original Report
Police responded to Capital High School and cordoned off Helena Nazarene Church Friday following the death of a juvenile.
Helena Police received calls around 12:30 p.m. of a situation of immediate concern at the high school. When officers arrived they found a young juvenile male deceased at the church, just across the street from the school.
Police say it was an isolated incident, and there is no continued danger to the public.
The situation sparked immediate action from the school sending the building into lockdown. The lockdown was lifted around 1:30 Friday afternoon, but police will remain at the school.
The Helena Police Department is doing a complete investigation with the coroner.
This is a developing situation and we will provide more information as it becomes available.
