The suicide of a 76-year-old former Navy man in the parking lot of a New York VA hospital where he was allegedly denied care has raised new questions about the federal agency, and his family and friends hope his death won’t be in vain.
(FOX)- Peter A. Kaisen, 76, of Islip, shot and killed himself outside the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he had been a patient.
“He went there for help with depression,” said Thomas Farley, a friend of Kaisen’s for 40 years. “That was his last hope, and he didn’t get any help.”
“Maybe he can be used as an example to make things better,” said Farley, who spoke on behalf of the family. “Maybe we can save someone else’s life.”
“That way, he would not have died in vain,” he said.
Kaisen served in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1962, working on the USS Denebola, a ship that delivered refrigerated items and equipment to ships in the fleet, his friend said.
According to Farley, Kaisen was severely injured in a car accident while working as an officer for the Long Beach Police Department in the late 60’s. After that, he was disabled, Farley said, and “had been on constant medication since.”
The Suffolk County Police Department declined to comment on Kaisen’s death. The FBI confirmed to FoxNews.com on Thursday that the agency had investigated the death because it occurred on federal property, but said there was nothing criminal involved.
An online obituary in Kaisen’s name describes him as a “devoted husband, beloved father, grandfather, cherished friend and brother.”
Two sources connected to the hospital told the New York Times that Kaisen was upset he was unable to see an emergency-room physician for reasons related to his mental health.
“He went to the E.R. and was denied service,” one of the people, who currently works at the hospital, told the Times. “And then he went to his car and shot himself.”
“Someone dropped the ball,” the worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the paper. “They should not have turned him away.”
The hospital, meanwhile, reportedly said there was no indication Kaisen showed up at the E.R. prior to the incident.
Hospital spokesman Christopher Goodman told the paper that “the employees here at Northport feel this loss deeply and extend their thoughts and prayers to all those impacted by this tragedy.”