Suicide By Cop: US Coast Guard Vet, Allentown Granddad Killed In Police Shooting, Coroner Rules
The county coroner said Friday, June 20, that a 73-year-old man from Pennsylvania who was shot dead by police last month committed suicide.
Moyer, Gary
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio reported that Gary J.C. Moyer, of South Whitehall Township, was shot multiple times and was declared dead on the spot at 3:03 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28 in the 100 block of N. 38th Street.
The coroner declared Moyer’s cause of death to be a murder on June 20. The police shot was deemed justified by the district attorney for Lehigh County.
According to Buglio, homicide is the killing of one person by another.
Although I am classifying the manner of death as a homicide, District Attorney Gavin Holihan has decided that the police shot was justified in this case.
It is evident that Mr. Moyer acted menacingly with the intention of inciting law enforcement, which is what police officers often refer to as cop suicide.
Coast Guard Veteran, Devoted Husband & Grandfather
According to Moyer’s obituary on the Stephens Funeral Home website, he was a Vietnam-era veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. After graduating from East Stroudsburg University and William Allen High School in 1969, he worked as an airplane attendant, broker, and real estate appraiser. According to his obituary, he retired from his business in 2020.
According to his obituary, he was involved at Allentown’s Asbury United Methodist Church and loved yoga, Pilates, swimming, trampolining with his granddaughters, scuba diving, playing guitar, and collecting antiques, particularly mousetraps from the turn of the century.
In addition to a vast extended family, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, Thelma S. (Crouse) Moyer; daughters, Jennifer and Adam; and grandsons, Phoenix and Taylor.
Stephens Funeral Home in Allentown hosted a funeral ceremony on Monday, June 2. You can donate to any Parkinson’s Research fund in Moyer’s honor.
To read the full obituary of Gary Moyer, click here.
Help is available if you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts. Dial 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You’re not by yourself.
