By Marcia Moore
The Daily Item
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SUNBURY — A city police officer was slightly injured disarming a suicidal senior citizen inside a closet in a Chestnut Tower apartment Thursday night.
Officer Travis Bremigen, 33, injured his right hand while struggling with Donald L. Sarvis, 72, a resident of the housing complex at 725 Chestnut St.
According to state police at Stonington, Dorothy Krouse, 68, of Strawbridge Road, Northumberland, and Sarvis were arguing Thursday and Sarvis retrieved a rifle and threatened suicide. Krouse was able to disarm Sarvis, who then got another rifle. Krouse left the apartment and called 911. Police from Sunbury, Northumberland, Shamokin Dam, and Ralpho and Point townships, along with Stonington state police troopers, converged on the high rise.
Residents of the fourth floor were evacuated, and officers took cover positions because Sarvis had barricaded himself in a bedroom closet, state police report. Bremigen and Sunbury police officer Brad Hare began negotiations with Sarvis, but believed the man was going to kill himself. To prevent that, they entered the closet and found Sarvis with a loaded .22-caliber rifle.
A struggle ensued, and the weapon was discharged. The bullet exited the closet wall, which was adjacent to the living room.
No one was injured as a result of the shot fired.
Sarvis was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for mental health evaluation.
Sunbury Housing Authority Executive Director Sandra Ressler said the apartment complex has a policy allowing residents to have weapons on the premises as long as they are kept in a locked storage or with a trigger lock.
Ressler would not comment specifically on Sarvis, citing the ongoing police investigation.
