Police: Elderly man kills self in motel room

Katharhynn Heidelberg

Daily Press News Editor

MONTROSE — The second shooting in less than 24 hours claimed a life Sunday morning. This time, the gunshot was self-inflicted in a local motel room, police say.

The victim, later identified as Roger Totten, 72, was despondent when he phoned a friend at approximately 9:30 a.m., Montrose Police Cmdr. Gene Lillard said at the scene on East Main Street.

"He said he was despondent and depressed," Lillard said. "He was pretty matter of fact that he wanted to take his own life."

Montrose County Coroner Mark Young said Totten had medical and domestic issues. He left a note in his motel room. "He was tired and he apologized to everybody," Young said of the note's contents. He declined to further specify.

"It's a suicide. It's absolutely tragic," Young said.

The friend apparently tried to talk Totten out of his depressed mood by inviting him over for dinner and to watch football. When that did not work, the friend phoned police, who swarmed the America's Best Value Inn shortly after 10 a.m.

Several members of the police force had also worked through the night on a fatal shooting at a local bar, which is being treated as a homicide.

"We tried his cell phone. We had his best friend call, and we tried an in-house call. ...We did see movement early on," Lillard said of Totten.

Totten's friend also attempted talking to him through the wall of an adjacent motel room, as well as through the door, all to no avail. The MPD's Special Response Unit made forcible entry into the upstairs room at 11:52 a.m. and found the man dead.

"He was deceased upon arrival," Det. Mark Schelling said.

Totten died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Young said.

Police did not hear any shots, in part because of the cinderblock and brick construction of the motel. "We had officers watch the scene and still did not hear the report of a gunshot," Lillard said.

Responders were hampered by the sun's glare on the motel unit's windows, which made it impossible to see inside.

Sunday, motel guests and workers crowded the lobby and exterior doors, watching the incident unfold as the desk clerk reassured other guests on the telephone.The motel's manager had no comment and said employees would not be commenting either.

Police from had evacuated everyone they could early on and tried to secure the scene, Lillard said. "Motels are difficult, at best, to secure, as far as access and exits. Every situation is different. Nothing is ever textbook."

It was not known why the man, who apparently had a residence in Montrose, was at the motel. The investigation is ongoing.