Laredo committee reviews two recent deaths and several suicide attempts; police urge coordination with schools
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Summary
Laredo’s Suicide Prevention Committee reviewed police reports covering two recent deaths and several attempts between Feb. 5–21, 2026, and discussed improved school-counselor notification and follow-up for affected students and families.
The Suicide Prevention Committee in Laredo heard detailed police reports on Feb. 25 about two recent deaths and multiple suicide attempts, and members urged better coordination with school counselors to reach affected students and siblings.
A sergeant presenting the monthly incident summary said year-to-date counts included multiple attempted-suicide calls and several emergency-detention reports. He described a Feb. 5 response where officers located a 23-year-old male in a parked Chevrolet Malibu with an apparent gunshot wound; investigators found a handgun inside the vehicle and the case remains under investigation. On Feb. 7, officers responded to a residence where they found a 17-year-old female who had hung herself; forensic and medical-examiner personnel processed the scene and the case remains open pending autopsy and forensics, the report said. The presenter said the deceased had documented diagnoses of anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression and noted a positive pregnancy-test image on her phone.
Committee members also reviewed several attempts in mid-February: an Feb. 19 overdose by an 18-year-old female; a Feb. 20 incident involving a 14-year-old female who cut and attempted an overdose; and a Feb. 21 reported self-harm by a 29-year-old male, all of whom were transported to local hospitals.
A school guidance director asked the committee for campus-level information so counselors can reach students and siblings. “We...would like to get maybe later on more information as far as what campus they go to so that we could circle back with the counselors to make sure that we provide services,” the director said. Committee members agreed to develop a protocol for notifying school counseling directors when incidents affect students.
Members cited one successful intervention in which a high-school student who had attempted to hang himself was connected to 988 and transported to care; the student returned to campus and continues counseling. A committee member said this case demonstrated the value of cross-agency response and immediate outreach.
The report included aggregated call-volume figures for 988 routing: committee staff said January routing showed an increase in routed calls and answered volume compared with the prior year, which they interpreted as an indicator that awareness drives are increasing help-seeking behavior.
Committee members said they will continue to share incident details with school officials and to improve follow-up so families and sibling students receive prompt outreach and referrals to counseling.
The committee did not take legislative action on these incidents; discussion centered on coordination, referral and outreach steps. The committee adjourned at 6:43 p.m.
