Matthew Warren 'Probably' Not Owner of Gun Used in Suicide, Police Report
[UPDATE 4:45 p.m.] Rick Warren, lead pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., tweeted Thursday afternoon: "Someone on the internet sold Matthew an unregistered gun.I pray he seeks God's forgiveness. I forgive him. #MATTHEW 6:15."
[This is a breaking news update. Check CP's earlier story below.]
Police of Orange County's Sheriff's Department in California are saying that Matthew Warren, son of Pastor Rick Warren, was "probably not" the owner of the gun he used in a tragic suicide.
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Police officials said they are unsure of where Warren, 27, found the gun he used to take his own life at roughly 10 a.m. on Friday at his home in Mission Viejo, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, the sheriff's department reportedly declined to indicate what type of gun Warren used, although according to the LA Times, someone close to the investigation has claimed it was a shotgun.
As The Huffington Post reported, California public records indicate that the younger Warren had not applied for a Carrying a Concealed Weapon license through the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Rick Warren, lead pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., announced in a letter to his congregation on Saturday morning that his son had committed suicide after a lifelong battle with mental illness and depression.
"Over the past 33 years we've been together through every kind of crisis. Kay and I've been privileged to hold your hands as you faced a crisis or loss, stand with you at gravesides, and prayed for you when ill. Today, we need your prayer for us," Warren wrote in his email.
Warren described his son as an "an incredibly kind, gentle, and compassionate man," who unfortunately "struggled from birth with mental illness, dark holes of depression, and even suicidal thoughts."
Police announced on Monday that an official autopsy report had been conducted on Matthew Warren by the Orange County Coroner's Office.
"The autopsy today was completed today on Matthew Warren, 27, of Mission Viejo. The cause of death is a self-inflicting gunshot wound," O.C. Sheriff's Department Office spokeswoman Gail Krause previously told The Christian Post over the phone.
Pastor Warren received wide support from fellow church leaders following the death of his son, including kind words from T.D. Jakes, Greg Laurie, and Will Graham, among others.
Warren and his wife, Kay, held a private memorial service for their son.
