44 year-old Santa Barbara resident Danny Lee McLaughlin leapt to his death from the Santa Barbara court house clock tower on the afternoon of March 8.

A group of tourists called police after seeing McLaughlin climb over the railing of the clock tower’s 85-foot tall observation deck around 1:00 p.m. Santa Barbara county sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly and ushered bystanders away from the tower but were unable to reach McLaughlin before he jumped from the side of the building overlooking Anacapa Street.

Emergency medical personnel attempted to revive McLaughlin but shortly pronounced him dead at the scene.

According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, McLaughlin was depressed as a result of personal and financial issues, including his unemployment.

The Santa Barbara Response Network, a local crisis support organization, immediately dispatched a team of volunteers to the scene to provide psychological first aid to bystanders.

SBRN Incident Commander Anthony Rodriguez said the network is always prepared to offer support to the community.

“At this moment we have over 20 volunteers ready to respond,” Rodriguez said. “We work very closely with the police or fire department to make sure the scene is respected and provide treatment for family members or whoever needs our help.”

The SBRN also held a public support session Wednesday afternoon for community members impacted by the incident.

-Staff report