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Reality star Nate Burrell, 33, fatally shot himself in the head after hours-long standoff with police as family members watched – days after he was charged with rape and assault

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‘This isn’t an admission of guilt. I’m just tired, I’ve been through so much in my life’, Nate Burrell posted on Facebook just hours before shooting himself on Oct 31

Burrell, 33, fatally shot himself in the head with a scoped rifle outside a Pizza Hut restaurant in downtown Allegan, Michigan on Saturday evening

The tragic culmination came after a more an hour and forty minutes of negotiation with police

Police report that family members were at the scene when he shot himself

Burrell who starred for two seasons in TV reality show ’60 Days In’, had just broken up with his wife and the estranged couple were locked in a custody battle over their unborn child

Hours before, the former Marine had posted a suicide note to Facebook, writing in the 3000-word post that he ‘can’t keep going on’

Records show that days prior, Burrell had been charged with rape and multiple counts of assault, which he appeared to be addressing in his last post

He was was due to be arraigned on Nov 8

Nate Burrell, [photo], fatally shot himself in the head with a scoped rifle outside a Pizza Hut restaurant in downtown Allegan on Saturday evening as negotiators tried desperately to talk him down for around an hour and 40 minutes

The circumstances of the death of a reality TV star who shot himself in the presence of witnesses has been revealed
’60 Days In’ star Nate Burrell committed suicide during a standoff with police in the middle of a street on Saturday evening, as police and family members watched on in horror.
Burrell, 33, fatally shot himself in the head with a scoped rifle outside a Pizza Hut restaurant in downtown Allegan, Michigan as police negotiators failed trying desperately to talk him down for more than an hour.
Earlier that day, the former Marine had posted a suicide note to Facebook, writing in the 3000-word post that he ‘can’t keep going on’ and alluded to troubled relations with his estranged wife, with whom he was expecting a child.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Nate-Burrell-3.jpg
Nate Burrell, [l-R], had broken up with his wife as they were expecting their first child and they have been locked in a custody battle. Days later, he was charged with rape and multiple counts of assault. He was due to be arraigned on November 8.

Police sources have just revealed that days prior Burrell had been charged with rape and multiple counts of assault. He was due to be arraigned on November 8.
Hours before the tragedy, the 33-year-old had posted a disturbing message on social media that instigated a search by law enforcement.
‘This isn’t an admission of guilt,’ he began his Facebook post, published at 2:26pm on October 31. ‘I’m just tired, I’ve been through so much in my life, the pain of my situation now hurts more than I ever imagined. I can’t keep going on.’
Police were notified of Burrell’s troubling post about 40 minutes after he uploaded it, at 3:00pm, and they immediately commenced a sweep of the Midwestern town to find him.

Burrell had posted a disturbing message on Facebook writing that ‘this is not an admission of guilt’, which alerted police to search for him

After locating Burrell by pinging his cell phone, officer Josh Morgan of the Allegan Police Dept. approached his vehicle which was parked behind some bushes.
From a distance, Burrell began shaking his head at him, mouthing the words ‘no’ as the officer attempted to make contact, Morgan said
Burrell then sped away from the cop at a ‘moderate speed’, but Morgan trailed him at a distance until the reality star came to a stop in a handicap parking spot outside a Pizza Hut restaurant.
As officer Morgan attempted to approach the car for a second time, reportedly Burrell got out from Ford Escape and grabbed a black scoped rifle which he pointed under his chin.

An allegedly suicidal Nate Burrell sped away from police only to stop at this Pizza Hut in Allegan, Michigan on Saturday evening, where he shot himself as cops tried for hours to talk him down

Morgan in his report said he took cover behind his patrol car while attempting to start a dialogue with Burrell who he says was uncommunicative at first, but then opened up only to tell officer Morgan he was ‘very angry’ and was also ‘upset with police’ because of the felony charges leveled against him days earlier.
‘At one point, he became very angry and went on for approximately thirty to forty five seconds of cursing and calling police liars and other things,’ Morgan wrote in his report.
At this point, a negotiator from the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene, but as he attempted to talk Burrell down, he became frantic, incessantly looking from side to side, down the street and as over his shoulders as he spoke, according to the police report.

Throughout the fifty minute exchange with the negotiator, Burrell had the gun barrel pushed against either one of his cheeks, with the opposing thumb balancing on the trigger, police said

Morgan said as he attempted to approach the car for a second time, Burrell got out from the driver’s side door, glanced back at the officer and then grabbed a black scoped rifle, before pointing it under his chin 
For the fifty minutes of exchange between Burrell and the negotiator he had the gun barrel pushed against either one of his cheeks, with the opposing thumb balancing on the trigger, police said.
A number of Burrell’s family members subsequently arrived at the scene of the standoff with as officers vainly attempted to keep them at bay. They ‘were refusing to comply with orders to stay back and were putting themselves in the view’ of Burrell, police said
A SWAT team was then deployed at the scene and a new negotiator from the Sheriff’s Department took over in a bid to breach the deadlock.
But after only a few minutes, at 4:47pm, Burrell then placed the barrel of the rifle against his left cheek and pulled the trigger. He fell backwards to the ground with the gun still lodged between his legs. 
He was pronounced dead at the scene from a single gunshot to the head.

Burrell’s family members arrived to the scene of the standoff, claiming that cops had attempted to keep the family members away. Police say those relatives ‘were refusing to comply with orders to stay back and were putting themselves in the view’ of Burrell

In his apparent suicide note, Burrell offered an ‘apology’ to his family and friends for ‘failing’ them.
‘I know a lot of you will think you could have changed my mind I ensure you, you wouldn’t. This isn’t a spontaneous thing,’ he wrote.
His marriage had just broken up.
Days later on October 22, he was charged in a Michigan court with five felony counts, including criminal sexual conduct in the first degree, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.
In his Facebook message, Burrell spoke directly to his estranged wife with whom he was expecting a baby. The couple have been locked in a custody battle over their unborn child.
‘I can only imagine how bad this would all turn out, all of the legal crap that would ensue after this with custody and everything else,’ Burrell wrote. ‘You win! You have promised for weeks, you will ruin my life and I had no idea who I was messing with. You are right, I didn’t know who I was messing with.’

Burrell was a veteran, who served in the Marines from 2006 to 2010, before joining the infantry and serving two tours of Iraq. In his final note Burrell wrote ‘I’m done fighting the demons of my past, I’m done fighting the demons of today, and the demons of tomorrow

‘But we all have our day, our time to go, most feel like we shouldn’t decide that but I’m here to tell you I’ve made that decision and as hard as it was I am happy with my decision. I’m done fighting the demons of my past, I’m done fighting the demons of today, and the demons of tomorrow.
‘For those who are mourning know I’m in such a better place. I’m no longer fighting the battles that have been causing so much pain in my mind and life. Waking up feeling worthless, lost, confused, and tired/exhausted.’

Nate Burrell was a well-known reality personality of 60 Days in. The show followed Nate and seven others who entered jail for 2 months under assumed identities which they did of their own free will, with the aim of uncovering the injustices done to inmates behind bars.

Burrell who had been working as a Fish and Wildlife Officer in Michigan at the time of his death, was a veteran, having served in the military as a Marine from 2006 to 2010.
He was in the infantry and served two tours of Iraq. 
He was honorably discharged in 2013 and went on to receive his associate degree in criminal justice and law enforcement in 2014.
He later became a household name after appearing in two seasons 60 Days In. It follows people who volunteer to be imprisoned in county jail under assumed identities for two months. The aim of the documentary series is to uncover the injustice done to inmates behind bars.
The show followed Nate and eight others who entered jail for 2 months under assumed identities which they did of their own free will. He starred in seasons three and four of the series and was incarcerated at the Fulton County Jail.
According to his biography on A&E, he was inspired to take part in the show following the arrest of his brother, while he was stationed in Iraq.

3 Comments on Reality star Nate Burrell, 33, fatally shot himself in the head after hours-long standoff with police as family members watched – days after he was charged with rape and assault

  1. Nate was my favorite participant, he was a natural good guy. Nobody knows what someone is going through. He made the ultimate mistake, and I believe his idea that he will be in a beter place is also wrong. I pray for his wife and son and his family. I lost respect for nate. After reading that he even did this in front of his family. Nothing gives any person the right to take away God’s plans. Only God can decide when its your time. When it gets distorted, I believe God becomes very disappointed. RIP Nate is our hope, however we should all know he isn’t in a better place after suicide. Its the most selfish thing any person can do.

  2. They weren’t in a custody battle over the child. He was talking about what was going to happen after the rape charges and him being in prison. THEN, her getting custody of the kid, etc…

    Everybody just, assumed when they read the letter because they didn’t know the whole story and misinterpreted what, he wrote, which was:

    “I can only imagine how bad this would all turn out, all of the legal crap that would ensue after this with custody and everything else”

    The legal crap that would ensue after this with custody and everything else.

    Custody and everything else being the examples of the legal crap that, would go on “AFTER THIS” aka his recent legal issues.

    If you’re going to try and be some sort of reporter, at least comprehend what you’re reading and quit making stuff up. Jesus Christ.

  3. You can’t be in a custody battle over an, unborn child anyway. That’s just plain illogical to even consider a possibility lol

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