Waterbury acting Deputy Chief Christopher Corbett died of a gunshot wound to the head Thursday morning, according to the office of the chief medical examiner.

His death has been ruled a suicide, the chief medical examiner's office said.

Waterbury police and State Police Major Crimes are also investigating and were at the scene on Coniston Avenue in Waterbury on Thursday.

"The Waterbury Police Department has experienced a tremendous loss. We are in shock. The pain and grief that we are experiencing is indescribable. Deputy Chief Chris Corbett was a consummate professional and he will be dearly missed," Chief Vernon L. Riddick, Jr. said in a statement.

Corbett, a Waterbury native, joined the police department in 1997, serving first as a patrol officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 2004 and was assigned as the second-in-charge of the criminal investigation bureau and to serve as the department’s public information officer.

He continued to serve in both of those positions when he was promoted to lieutenant in 2006, then to captain in 2010, according to his online biography.

Corbett was a graduate of Holy Cross High School and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University.

He was also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and served on the Holy Cross High School Board of Directors, the Waterbury Retirement Board and as the treasurer on the Police Activities League Board of Directors.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the Corbett family at this incredibly difficult time. Deputy Chief Corbett was committed to his family and to the City of Waterbury, working hard every single day to keep families safe. I am heartbroken by his passing,” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement.

State police called Corbett's death "untimely." No additional information was immediately available.