Friends and family are mourning the loss of a Gordon County man who died last week of what sheriff’s deputies said was “an apparent gunshot wound.”

According to sheriff’s office public information officer Chief Robert Paris, deputies responded to a report that a man had been shot at Damascus cemetery on Highway 41 Thursday night.

Deputies found William Shelby Momon, 65, of Calhoun, dead at the scene. Momon was transported to Gordon Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities do not suspect foul play at this time.

Momon’s death is the second graveside suicide to occur in the county this year. On Valentine’s Day deputies responded to the death of John M. Surber, a Gordon County man who shot himself at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Resaca. One witness reported seeing Surber, 77, kneeling in front of a gravesite before witnessing Surber shoot himself.

In March deputies were dispatched to a private residence on East Culpepper Road near the Curryville community in western Gordon County regarding the hanging death of Bradley Williams, a 27-year-old Gordon County man. Williams was found inside his home by his wife.

A witness reported to detectives that Williams had appeared to be depressed in the days leading to his death.

Deputy Coroner Heath Derryberry says he isn’t certain that Gordon County is seeing an influx in suicides, but he does know they are happening much earlier in the year.

“It isn’t uncommon to see a higher rate of suicides around the holidays, but I have never seen this many so early in the year and so close together,” he said.

Derryberry called the recent suicides tragic.

“I don’t think people realize that there is help out there,” he said. “Suicide is never the answer. It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem and these problems that cause depression are just temporary.”

Derryberry urges anyone suffering from depression to seek help, first with his or her physician, and then with an expert who deals in mental illness.

Debbie Vance, director of E-911 in Gordon County, says 911 dispatchers are trained to handle suicide callers.

“A lot of the time, people don’t want to hurt themselves, they just want someone to listen,” Vance said.

There are several local and national options for people suffering from depression. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers 24-hour support through their lifeline service. The free service is available to anyone regardless of economic status and is confidential and can be reached by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

NSPL has a network of 140 locations nation-wide, the closest one being Chattanooga.

Highland Rivers Center in Calhoun also works with patients suffering from mental illness, and provides assistance through Behavioral Health Link (BHL). BHL is available at 1-800-715-4225.