Son's shotgun tribute

Police heard shots as they headed to Thompson's ranch

By Deborah Frazier and Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News
March 2, 2005

Shortly after reporting the death of his father, Hunter S. Thompson's son walked outside to fire three shots into the air, according to reports released Tuesday.

Several Pitkin County sheriff's deputies heard Juan Thompson fire the shots as they approached the Woody Creek home, known as the Owl Farm.

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"Juan told me he had shot a shotgun into the air to mark the passing of his father," said Pitkin County Deputy Sheriff John Armstrong in his report.

Hunter Thompson, who reigned as a savage social critic and inventor of Gonzo journalism for decades, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the kitchen of his home on Feb. 20.

Juan Thompson, his wife, Jennifer Winkel Thompson, and their 6-year- old son had spent the weekend and were in other rooms when Hunter Thompson shot himself.

Investigator Joseph DiSalvo allowed Juan Thompson to go into the kitchen alone to drape a golden orange scarf over his deceased father's shoulders, Armstrong said in his report.

Winkel Thompson said the family had purchased the silk scarf in Florence, Italy, and gave it to Hunter Thompson the night before.

"He just loved it," she said.

Hunter Thompson, found seated in his chair in front of his typewriter, had typed the word counselor in the center of a page of his Fourth Amendment Foundation stationery, Deputy Ron Ryan said in his report.

Hunter Thompson had started the foundation to defend victims of unwarranted search and seizure.

A soft-sided gun case was found at Hunter Thompson's feet along with a spent shell casing and a semiautomatic Smith & Wesson model 645 handgun, Ryan's report said.

The gun's magazine had six bullets left in the clip, but no bullet was found in the gun's firing chamber, Ryan said.

"I think a bullet from the magazine should have cycled into the chamber, but if there's a malfunction, they may not," DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo said he hadn't checked the gun, but the weapon could have been on a manual cycle that would have stopped the other bullets from going into the chamber.

The spent slug was found in the stove's hood behind Hunter Thompson's body, investigators said.

On Tuesday, the family canceled plans for a public gathering this weekend in favor of a private service.

A larger public event will be held later, but no date or place has been decided, he said.

Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.