Man Commits Suicide At Crystal Cathedral Altar This Morning

The body of an apparent suicide victim is loaded into a coroner's van at televangelist Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

A representative from the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove has confirmed that a man in his 40s committed suicide inside the church this morning. The victim reportedly "shot himself in the head this morning at the altar," according to the Daily News. The church rep says the "unidentified man walked up three steps to the altar area, knelt before a gold cross and put the gun to his head." The man was not immediately familiar to anyone affiliated with the church. Some reports indicate he "handed a cathedral tour guide an envelope containing a note and his driver's license and mentioned that his vehicle was parked outside." This is the third suicide at the church, but the first at the altar. Rev. Robert Schuller, the Cathedral's founder, is currently in Hawaii and is taking some time off from his church duties.