Authorities on Thursday were baffled by what they believe was the suicide of IRS agent Charles Richardson, who shot himself in the head while on duty at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana.
The agent's death shocked federal law enforcement officials, who described him as "meticulous and detail oriented." Santa Ana police, who responded to the shooting Wednesday, said Richardson, 42, suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
On Thursday, the Federal Protective Service assumed control of the investigation. The FPS is the police branch of the General Services Administration, which operates all federal buildings.
Jim McDonald, FPS chief of Southern Field Operations in Los Angeles, said Richardson's death "looks like a suicide" but investigators are still awaiting autopsy results. He declined to say whether Richardson left a suicide note.