A barber who was a hero and patriot in his town killed himself in front of a City Council meeting in Clarksville, Tenn. Thursday.
Ronald ‘‘Bo’’ Ward pulled out a small handgun and shot himself in the head Thursday night in front of council members who had just voted 7-5 against granting a zoning change for the barber shop he ran from his home.
He said the rezoning would increase his property value, allowing him to secure a loan to offset debt he incurred when he expanded his shop.
‘‘Y’all have put me under ... I’m out of here,’’ he said before shooting himself.
Ward was well known for supporting soldiers from the nearby Fort Campbell Army post and was once recognized by its former commander, Gen. David Petraeus.
Ward’s small business was often visited by media reporting on the local economic impact when thousands of soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division deployed for
‘‘He treated soldiers like his own children,’’ said George Heath, a longtime patron of Bo’s Barber Shop and the Fort Campbell garrison public affairs officer.
‘‘If a soldier came in and said he needed a haircut but didn’t have any money, Bo would cut his hair and tell him to pay him when he could.’’
Petraeus sent to him a postcard during the division’s first deployment to
Petraeus thanked Ward for keeping his shop open during the deployment and ‘‘giving haircuts to children of our families.’’
That year his shop near the Army post’s gate won a local competition for Christmas lights.
Petraeus is now the top
For more from Finditt People, please check out http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=14&wcat=16
