Our Goal
It is this kind of end-of-life story that saddens those of us in the Hemlock Society who believe that dying should be a tranquil and memorable time, during which loved ones and departing individuals gently say their last goodbyes to one another.
The sad fact is, Robert "Sol" Oseroff must have been unaware of such concepts as a peaceful death and physician-aid in dying or of such national groups as Final Exit Network and Compassion and Choices, both of which counsel and comfort those trying to make end-of-life decisions.
He may also not have known about our Hemlock Society of San Diego, which has shared information about life-ending options in public meetings since 1987.
Now it is too late for anyone to help Mr. Oseroff's have a more peaceful passing. All we can do now is to tell his story. . .
The following report was extracted
and somewhat abridged from the
December 17, 2007 edition of the
San Diego Union-Tribune:
CHULA VISTA – It was an odd and tragic ending for a 90-year-old-man: Getting gunned down by the police. "Sol" Oseroff didn't seem to be the type to die in such a violent fashion. The Chula Vista resident seemed to be an ordinary man with an ordinary life that appeared to be closing in an ordinary end.
There was nothing at all that dramatic about his life," said his daughter-in-law, Mary Oseroff, who lives in Washington. "But if you don't want to be here any more, what do you do?"
On Dec. 7, Sol Oseroff apparently became the oldest man to die at the hands of a San Diego county law enforcement officer. Authorities don't recall or have records of such an incident involving anyone near that age. He kept officers at bay for hours that afternoon, refusing to leave his mobile home. He had a gun and wouldn't give it up.
A Crisis Negotiating Team tried to persuade him to surrender, but that he responded by saying, "Send the officers in," said Bernard Gonzales, spokesman for the Chula Vista Police Department. Nearby homes were evacuated.
Finally Oseroff came outside the modest trailer, walked toward officers and raised his gun. Two officers opened fire, at least one with a shotgun. A neighbor believes she heard four shots fired. A family member remembers hearing five.
Oseroff, who stood 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 130 pounds, died at the scene. The cause, according to the Medical Examiner's Office, was "multiple gunshot and gunshot wounds."
The death has puzzled several of Oseroff's close friends and family. He had no history of violent behavior, they said, and wasn't drinking or on medication. Some were upset with the police for using so much force against an old man.
"They just unloaded on him," said Cary Gates, who also lives in Chula Vista. "They had armor on and had good protection. He's slow. It's not as if he's going to get the drop on them." Still others empathize with the police, saying they had no choice.
Oseroff left a note saying he wanted to die that day. Police speculate that Oseroff may have tried to shoot, but the gun misfired. A shell casing was found in the chamber. The investigation into the shooting continues.
"It's horrible, but what could be done?" Mary Oseroff said. "He got the outcome he wanted."
Robert Solomon Oseroff had a wife, a family and friends. But he was slowing down. He couldn't do the things that he used to do. "Towards the end, he didn't get out of the house," said Rochelle Wilson, 93, who lives a few doors away in Palms Mobile Home Estates.
Wilson last saw Oseroff about three days before the shooting. She went over to his home to see how he was doing. He seemed frail land despondent.
"He was an unhappy man," she said. In the note the police found, he complained of digestive problems, said Cates, his step-son. He also wasn't sleeping very well.
Osteroff's decline and his answer to it fits a disturbing trend. People older than 85 have the highest rate of suicide in the nation. Most of the conditions that lead to suicide, depression or physical ailments, for instance, are treatable said Richard McKeon, a U.S. government special advisor on suicide prevention.
Odie Rodriguez, who lives next door to Oseroff, said she saw him less often in the past year." He had trouble walking and that upset him," Rodriguez said.
She saw a flash of the old sparkle on Oct. 9, the day he turned 90. "I finally made it," Oseroff told her with pride as they chatted outside his home.
Wilson watched the standoff from her window. The scene was crazy, chaotic, "like Iraq." Police, some of them holding shotguns, were everywhere, she said.
She thought the reaction was a bit much. She doesn't think Oseroff was much of a threat, given his age and frail condition. "He used to shake," she said, shaking her hand wildly to emphasize the way he moved.
But police say age doesn't make much difference when it comes to the potential danger someone may pose. "What does age have to do with it?" said Gonzales, the Chula Vista police spokesman. "Here was a man approaching officers with a gun."
Officers aren't trained to fire at specific body parts such as a foot or leg, Gonzales said. If they missed, the suspect might be able to shoot back. They're trained to fire at mass."
Gonzales isn't certain whether the officers at the scene that day had bean-bag shotguns or other non-lethal weapons. Normally, they do. All aspects of the shooting are under review.
Regarding Robert Oseroff's Death - PREVENTING TRAGEDIES LIKE THIS
A Senior's Perspective on Robert Oseroff's Death
The following is a letter to the editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune reprinted with the permission of the author.
December 18, 2007
Regarding "Peers offer support to police, firefighters," and "All who knew him puzzled by 90-year old's fatal standoff" (Our Region, Dec. 17)--This is a very interesting juxtaposition of articles:
The wonderful explanation of the peer support program for police and fire personnel and the sad article reporting on the death of Robert "Sol" Oseroff in a death by cop scenario.
Oseroff and I am of the same generation. I know many seniors who have lost the zest for life through no fault of their own: health problems, loss of vitality, loss of interest in staying around any longer. We all want very much just to be able to die when we have reached the place where our existence is painful or difficult for younger family members who become responsible for day-to-day care. I think everyone can relate to that.
We are living longer, and the probability that we will become dependent has also increased dramatically. It is abundantly clear that Oseroff was ready to die. He planned his method and he followed through. I hope his family and friends will respect what he did as his choice and not now try find ways the police could have handled it differently.
When someone has possession of a loaded gun, ignores please to surrender and then exits a house and raises that gun to point it at the people who were there to help him, he knows what the end result will be. It is exactly as he had planned it. He is now at peace.
The very sad consequence of his actions is that sworn officers, doing their duty, were purposely involved. It is this type of situation that demands that they have a peer support group. Anyone who thinks they don't care is very wrong. That all have parents, too, and I imagine emotions of those on the scene are quite raw at the moment.
Helen Givens
La Mesa