Veteran Commits Suicide Right In The Parking Lot Of The Phoenix VA

by Austin Petersen

By Jonah Bennett

One veteran, reportedly sick and tired of poor care, drove over to the headquarters of the Phoenix VA over the weekend and took his own life.

Thomas Murphy, a 53-year-old vet, arrived in the parking lot of the regional office on Sunday with two items: a goodbye note and a gun. He was alone. The Department of Veterans Affairs is currently investigating the incident, Fox 10 Phoenix reports.

According to Brandon Coleman, a veteran of the Marine Corps, Murphy’s sacrifice is the ultimate symbolic gesture. Coleman was an addiction therapist with the Phoenix VA before he was charged with misconduct and placed on leave after filing a whistleblower complaint in December. What was wrong at the VA? Coleman testified that the hospital mishandled numerous suicidal veterans.

While Coleman never knew Murphy personally, the recent suicide provides additional evidence that, as suggested, all is not right in Phoenix.

“It’s an ultimate slap in the face to the VA, that something is wrong, to take the extra step to want to finish the act of suicide on VA property so that way you’re and they have to clean up the mess,” Coleman told Fox 10.

The Phoenix VA can’t seem to avoid courting controversy and scandal. A recent lawsuit alleges that doctors misdiagnosed fluid around 67-year-old Gene Spencer’s lungs as cancer in 2012. A physician informed Spencer the condition was terminal and told him to prepare for the end in several weeks. Shortly after, Spencer committed suicide. His wife soon received a call informing her of the great news: the fluid wasn’t cancer at all. At that point, the news was hollow. (RELATED: Phoenix VA Gets Sued After Totally Wrong Diagnosis Leads To Suicide)
FOX 10 News | fox10phoenix.com
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Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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