Corbin man kills self to avoid arrest on shoplifting charges

Corbin Firefighters take an unidentified man from 103 14th Street to an awaiting ambulance Friday morning. The man was injured by a gunshot wound. Police think it may have been self-inflicted.

Corbin police are saying a local man died Friday after he shot himself to avoid being arrested on shoplifting charges.

The incident happened at around 9:00 a.m. Friday morning at 103 14th Street. According to investigators, 57-year-old Michael Mink was pronounced dead at Baptist Health Corbin from a gunshot wound to the head. The injury, authorities say, was self inflicted.

According to Corbin Police Public Affairs Officer Maj. Rob Jones, he and another officer, Col. David Maiden, went to the home to arrest Mink for allegedly shoplifting items from a local store earlier in the morning. Officers noticed Mink had a gun and ordered him to drop it and tried to defuse the situation. Instead, Mink raised the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Mink was rushed to Baptist Health Corbin for treatment. He was still alive while being transported to the hospital, but died some time later.

Mink was living with his father, Harold Mink.

Harold Mink said his son had a long history of alcohol abuse and he claimed that police wanted to arrest him because he had stolen some cooking wine at a local Kroger store earlier in the morning.

"He’s been an alcoholic for about 35 years. He was very sick," Harold Mink said.

"He’s been in prison about three times. He just wasn’t going to go back."

Harold Mink, who is 79, said his said lived in the home with him and helped him out by running errands. He said Michael had one child, a son named Jesse, who lives in Florida.

"He was helping me out around here quite a bit. He just got very depressed," Harold Mink said. "I don’t know. I think there ought to be some program or something that can be done about people are really sick. They got stuff like that for dope, but there’s not much for alcohol."