Former Clayton Town Manager Steve Biggs is in a Virginia hospital after he allegedly shot himself in the head Tuesday morning following a standoff with police.
Biggs left the Town of Clayton in June 2016 after 19 years to accept a job as the town manager in Christiansburg, Virginia last summer.
Around 12:07am today, Christiansburg Police responded to a report of a suicidal person in an apartment. Police and Montgomery County, Virginia deputies attempted for several hours to make contact with the person inside the apartment. At 3:54am, a gunshot was heard from inside.
Authorities made entry and found a man, later identified as Biggs suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a local hospital then airlifted to a trauma center with injuries described as life threatening.
The shooting occurred about four weeks after a 23 year-old Christiansburg woman filed a complaint that Biggs had harassed her. A judge denied a protective order against Biggs finding there was no credible threat to the female, according to Roanoke.com.
The woman was a former neighbor of Biggs at the apartment building where he lived.
Court documents allege her issues with Biggs had escalated prior to the complaint being filed in early March.
“He for the past month would go back and forth between texting me saying he ‘loved’ me and trying to give me gifts, to texting me things like ‘the more jealous you are of a person the less you care about their suffering,’ and that I’m a piece of s—, just using him, no one will love me, etc.,” according to Roanoke.com
A Virginia State police detective turned over findings of an investigation to a commonwealth attorney, who declined to prosecute Biggs.
As early as last week, Biggs spoke with a Virginia newspaper reporter and denied the harassment allegations. Biggs reportedly claimed he had a friendship with the woman that ended when she was offended by comments he made days before she took out the court order. He claimed he never threatened the woman and cited the judge denying the restraining order and prosecutors not pursing charges as proof of his innocence.
“I offended … I never threatened,” he told a reporter for Roanoke.com
Christiansburg, Virginia officials have cancelled a regularly scheduled meeting for tonight but has scheduled an emergency closed session to discuss today’s shooting.
Nancy Medlin, Deputy Clayton Town Manager who worked closest with Biggs released a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Our hearts are heavy with this morning’s tragic news regarding Steve Biggs, Clayton’s former Town Manager. Before Steve moved to Christiansburg, he dedicated nearly 20 years of his life to the Town of Clayton, and his family continues to be a part of our community. This tragedy has hit hard in Town Hall, where countless employees built their careers under Steve’s leadership. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve’s wife and children this morning, as well as the doctors who have Steve in their care. We are praying for a full recovery.”
