In the late afternoon of a September day in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, the life of 63-year-old Police Chief Mike DeNardo came to a tragic end. On September 8, 2016, shortly after being suspended from his duties, DeNardo died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the parking lot of the police department he once led. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
DeNardo, a man who had dedicated his life to law enforcement, was being escorted from the city's police station after turning in his equipment when the fatal event occurred. Witnesses reported that he shot himself in the chest. Though he was alive when loaded into an ambulance, he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The sudden and public nature of his death sent shockwaves through the coastal community.
The circumstances leading to this tragic act were rooted in a burgeoning investigation. Authorities had begun looking into allegations that DeNardo was involved in the illegal sale of firearms owned by the city. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office was actively investigating these claims, which reportedly involved at least one assault rifle. Just a day or two before his death, federal investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had also received 'unsubstantiated criminal intelligence' regarding DeNardo, though a formal federal investigation had not yet commenced.
In the wake of his death, city officials and law enforcement colleagues expressed their profound shock and grief. The mayor of Bay St. Louis noted that he believed the chief would have ultimately been cleared of any wrongdoing. DeNardo had a long and respected career, having served as a SWAT commander for the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office before joining the Bay St. Louis Police Department in 2004 and ascending to the rank of chief in 2010. As his death was determined to be a suicide, there were no suspects or arrests in connection with the incident itself. The investigation into the alleged illegal firearm sales, however, continued after his passing.
