Police tape cordoned off the northeastern side of the UW Medical Center around the emergency room and surgical pavilion wing Saturday afternoon while police officers investigated the suicide of an unidentified male that took place at approximately 6:40 p.m. the same day.

The unidentified man, who died after shooting himself with a shotgun, had reportedly been concealing the weapon under a black jacket he was wearing, said UWPD Assistant Chief Ralph Robinson.

Other than the proximity, the man had no affiliation with the university. It is not known whether or not the man had previously been a patient at the hospital.

The man, described as being in his late 40s, had been wandering near the medical center prior to the incident and reportedly told a passerby that he intended to kill himself.

Robinson said the passerby relayed this information to another person who then called the police.

However, Robinson said the first call dispatchers received was not about a suicidal man, but about a man with a gun.

Four to five officers arrived on scene shortly thereafter.

“As I understand, there was conversation between police and the man and they were telling him to put the gun down,” Robinson explained.

The man was pronounced dead on the scene shortly after the first call came in.

“No one else in the area was hurt,” Robinson said. “There were no politics involved in the act, no hostages and, as far as we’re aware, no intent to harm others.”

Tina Mankowski, a spokesperson for UW medicine, said operations in the E.R. and surgery pavilion were not affected, but workers and patients were made aware of what happened, and social workers were made available to anyone who may have been traumatized by the event.

Mankowski said it is unsettling that an individual was able to approach the hospital with a shotgun and not be noticed.

“It’s a very public place, and the university is a very large area,” Mankowski said. “We of course have safety officers present, but it’s very unsettling.”

The incident is under investigation by the UWPD.

Reach news editor Casey Smith at news@dailyuw.com.