A soldier assigned to the 1st Infantry Division died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday near Fort Riley, Kansas, according to Army and local law enforcement officials.
Pfc. Wyatt Ethan Ivy, 20, was an armor crewman assigned to 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, in the division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, according to information from the Army.
The Clay County Sheriff's Office was notified late Wednesday that police officers from nearby Riley County were searching for a person who was believed to be suicidal, according to information from the sheriff's office.
About 20 minutes later, about 11:15 p.m., a sheriff's deputy found Ivy in his car in Clay Center, Kansas. He was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
"Our hearts go out to the family of Pfc. Ivy," Col. Timothy Hayden, commander of 1st BCT, said in a statement. "Everyone in the 'Devil' brigade is deeply saddened by this loss. We will do whatever we can do support Wyatt's friends and family in this difficult time."
Ivy, from Monett, Missouri, joined the Army in September 2014. He arrived at his unit and Fort Riley, Kansas, in February 2015 and had not deployed.
His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.
Ivy's death is under investigation by the Clay County Sheriff's Department.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
