Officers fall ill while checking on apparent suicide in southwest Houston

Houston firefighters work the scene where two Houston police officers fell ill while checking on a suicidal man who had concocted some sort of lethal gaseous chemical and released it inside a small apartment in the 2100 block of Fountain View Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Houston. less Houston firefighters work the scene where two Houston police officers fell ill while checking on a suicidal man who had concocted some sort of lethal gaseous chemical and released it inside a small apartment in ... more Photo: Jay R. Jordan, Staff Photo: Jay R. Jordan, Staff Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Officers fall ill while checking on apparent suicide in southwest Houston 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A pair of Houston police officers fell ill Wednesday while checking on a man who apparently died by suicide in southwest Houston.

The man apparently concocted a lethal gaseous chemical and released it inside a small apartment in the 2100 block of Fountain View, according to Houston Police Department Sgt. Michael Cass. The man was staying in the apartment after renting it on a home-share app, Cass said.

The leaseholder returned to the apartment Wednesday morning expecting the tenant to be gone and instead found a note apparently written by the suicidal man warning him of the toxic fumes, Cass said. The leaseholder immediately phoned 911 after discovering the man's body inside.

As officers entered the apartment to check on the man's welfare, they were overcome with the fumes and started to fall ill, Cass said. Firefighters and paramedics with the Houston Fire Department rushed to the apartment and treated the officers on scene, both of whom were released without hospitalization.

Hazardous materials crews with HFD worked for hours to clean the apartment, Cass said.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will determine how the man died.

If you feel suicidal or are having suicidal thoughts, call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com