City mourns death of officer

DOWNTOWN — Flags outside police headquarters flapped at half-staff as candles were arranged to indicate the badge number of a sergeant who killed himself Thursday on a residential street corner.

It was the first public display of grief over the suicide of Burbank police Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn, who died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the corner of North Sunset Canyon Drive and East Harvard Road.

Colleagues and passersby stopped in front of the police station Friday to remember the 22-year veteran of the force whose list of commendations included Ministerial Officer of the Year in 1992 and two Professional Esteem awards. Some wept, while others stood paralyzed by the silence and magnitude of the moment.

Gunn had deep roots in what officials affectionately refer to as the “City Family.”

He was also one of 12 officers named in federal grand jury subpoenas as part of an FBI investigation into possible civil rights violations and excessive use of force.

FBI officials would not specify when the probe began, how long it would last, or expand on why the officers were named. Several of the officers listed in the probe — Bill Taylor, Omar Rodriguez and Steve Karagiosian — have also filed lawsuits against the Police Department alleging racial discrimination, harassment and on-the-job retaliation.

The Glendale Police Department, which is handling the investigation, has so far found no evidence of foul play or that anyone assisted in the suicide, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Glendale police will backfill Burbank shifts when members of the department are unavailable to work, he said.

Residents of the hillside enclave, located below the Castaway and DeBell Golf Club, spent Thursday morning outside their homes calming neighbors who feared they were in danger as detectives confirmed Gunn had shot himself.

Erminio Iacobellis, who lives in the 1000 block of East San Jose Avenue, said he never imagined a high-profile slaying within earshot of his home.

“This doesn’t happen in the city,” Iacobellis said, staring across the police barrier. “Nothing like this happens here.”

Police were called to the intersection about 11:40 a.m. after witnesses reported seeing Gunn turn the gun on himself, Sgt. Thor Merich said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police Chief Tim Stehr and high-ranking members of the department evaluated the crime scene before Los Angeles County coroners arrived.

Officers sectioned off several blocks of Sunset Canyon Drive and surrounding streets, shielding views of the body from the public as detectives investigated.

“This incident is a devastating tragedy,” Lt. John Dilibert said in a statement issued by the department. “The members of the Police Department and all our city employees share in the grief with his family during this difficult time.”