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Gulf oil spill: Boat captain, despondent over spill, commits suicide
June 23, 2010 | 11:51 am
William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely selfinflicted, authorities said. "He had been quite despondent about the oil crisis," said Stan Vinson, coroner for Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores. Kruse, who lived with his family in nearby Foley, Ala., reported to work Wednesday morning as usual at the Gulf Shores Marina on Fort Morgan Road in Gulf Shores, Vinson said. He met up with his two deckhands at his boat, The Rookie. One of the deckhands later told Vinson that Kruse seemed his usual self, sending them to fetch ice while he pulled the boat around to the gas pumps. As the deckhands walked off to get ice, they heard what sounded like a firecracker, Vinson said. They turned around but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. So they proceeded to gather the ice and wait for Kruse at the pumps. "He never showed," Vinson said. After waiting a while, the deckhands returned to the boat, which was moored where they had left it, Vinson said. They went aboard and found Kruse at the captain's bridge above the wheelhouse, Vinson said. He had been shot in the head. A Glock handgun was later recovered from the scene, and investigators do not suspect foul play, Vinson said. Vinson said Kruse was in good health, did not suffer from any mental illness and was not taking psychotropic medications. But he said it's not surprising the oil spill had weighed heavily on his mind, as it has on many local fishermen no longer able to support themselves with deep-sea sport fishing trips for marlin and the like, Vinson said. "All the waters are closed. There's no charter business anymore. You go out on some of the beaches now, with the oil, you can't even get in the water," Vinson said. "It's really crippled the tourism and fishing industry here." Vinson's office was to perform an autopsy Wednesday, and the Gulf Shores Police Department is still investigating. Det. Justin Clopton did not return calls. Kruse's family was notified by Wednesday afternoon, Vinson said, and his deckhands were sent home for the day. -- Molly Hennessy-Fiske
Twitter: @latenvironment Facebook: latimesenvironment More in: Gulf oil spill, Oceans, Oil and gas, water pollution
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obama Posted by: furious | June 23, 2010 at 12:15 PM Everyone who wants to blame Obama for this disaster: could you please explain how the president had anything to do with the inner workings and decision-making of a foreign owned oil company? Posted by: innercity | June 23, 2010 at 12:59 PM I agree. I'm sick of people blaming Obama for an oil company that Dick Cheney's legislation gave freewill to. Their greed has backfired. Posted by: Frontline formation | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM innercity, that's too easy! He took more money from BP in contributions than any politician in 20 years. His administration issued a waiver for the rig before it exploded. Case closed. Obama is responsible. Posted by: eternalgreenknight | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM Obama Posted by: Some guy | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM Hey Furious.....the same could apply for you jacka$$es blaming Bush for everything. I mean hell....it was his fault if it rained too much but now that your golden boy is in charge you're asking why he's being blamed? Typical left hipocrasy. Posted by: keram | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM Yeah, Sure he killed himself. This was a set up from the get go. Why would the CEO and Goldman Sachs sell millions of shares of BP days before the spill? Why did Halliburton by up the largest oil spill clean up company in the world days before the spill? This is about scarcity and carbon tax. They will get their world government and nobody is going to stop them. Posted by: John Conner | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM Innerty: Ask you shall receive. The president has received more in political contributions from BP than any other federal candidate in the last 20 years. http://theweek.com/article/index/202679/Do_BPs_big_donations_to_Obama_matter
Posted by: pitless | June 23, 2010 at 02:04 PM Just like Bush didn't control the weather but you (the left) blamed him for Katrina. Posted by: Chris | June 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM BP does not have jurisdiction to handle the cleanup effort. The Fed and States do. The Fed hamhanded this whole effort. The Fed should let the States fix their coastal problems and facilitate their efforts. The Fed incompetence and unwillingness to handle the job, while preventing (yes, preventing) cleanup efforts has put the crosshairs of this mess on their backs. The leviathon needs to be dismantled. Posted by: mach5 | June 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM Another victim falls to OilBama. Posted by: katiell | June 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM RIP. I hope the GOP and their loose regulatory policies feel some remose. Posted by: bush's fault | June 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM Energy Manhattan Project Now. If we kept the $300 billion we send out of our country here at home...along with the secondary economy that would emerge...we would thrive. solar, wind, natural gas, algea...whatever. Even if it costs twice what oil costs....the effect of adding hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy would make up for it. Posted by: Richard Long | June 23, 2010 at 02:05 PM Oh my God! We should stop the cleanup!! Quickly! Send out an order to stop all cleanup efforts and recall all the boats its just too much for us. Posted by: Jason | June 23, 2010 at 02:06 PM @innercity -- Lots of folks blamed Bush for Katrina. Is there a difference between blaming Obama for the spill and blaming Bush for Katrina? Posted by: shooter | June 23, 2010 at 02:06 PM Vinson's office was to perform an autopsy Wednesday Why? he blew his head off. Thats the cause of death. Posted by: Commentor | June 23, 2010 at 02:06 PM Its George Bush's fault. Everything is Bush's fault. Posted by: buffoon | June 23, 2010 at 02:06 PM hey genius. nobody is blaming obama for causing the spill. what everybody is pissed about is the lack of action and leadership in containing and cleaning up the spill. Saying no to countries who offer their ships and tech, stopping the construction of the sand burms, and generally being a no show in the gulf area. 2 trips for a total of 6 hours does not inspire anybody. oh and the blame bush tirade is so old. you've been in charge for almost 2 years now and you're still blaming bush? how about having the courage to follow your convictions. Posted by: BarackalypseNow | June 23, 2010 at 02:06 PM Who cares about "Obama" right now? A MAN IS DEAD! Show some respect for his memory and for his family. Geez! Some people are so dense and insensitive! This is a horrible TRAGEDY! Get off of your collective political "High Horses"and stop finger pointing long enough to extend your condolences to this man's family and friends, or just shut up about it for a little bit. Trust me: Tomorrow there will still be plenty of spilled oil left for you guys to fuss, bicker, and finger point about. This story is about the DEATH of a HUMAN BEING, not about who's at fault, one way or the other, for the damn oil spill. Posted by: Kimberly Huggins | June 23, 2010 at 02:07 PM @innercity, no one is blaming Obama for the actual spill but rather his slow response. Declining foreign help, not getting the requests that states had submitted, not even having spoken to the CEO until the pressure caused him to cave 50 days in, constant golfing and concerts while the disaster unfolded, very short trips to the effected areas. Posted by: ed | June 23, 2010 at 02:07 PM
Our wonderful Federal Government being led by the Obama Administration refused internatinal help and for some reason is giving Gov. Jindal a hard time in his initiatives to clean up the spill. Now we hear that sand berm dredging has been halthed. What the H* is going on!!? Posted by: little guy | June 23, 2010 at 02:07 PM Obama Posted by: Joe Macklwitz | June 23, 2010 at 02:08 PM obama Posted by: furious too | June 23, 2010 at 02:08 PM Furious its called the New World Order... Take time to look up Soros who just contacted a major company in New Orleans to lease all their vessels for Soros Oil Co.. in Africa.. Remember Obama gave Soros Billions of taxpayers monies. Posted by: Mustang1956 | June 23, 2010 at 02:08 PM Pretty sure it's not the oil crisis that caused this person to commit suicide... Innercity - the same way the president had anything to do with a hurricane in Louisiana. Posted by: MEC2 | June 23, 2010 at 02:08 PM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 | Newer Comments »
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