Man who burned to death outside Buddhist temple died by suicide, medical examiner says
The man who burned to death outside an east Fort Worth Buddhist temple was a 38-year-old man from Fort Worth who died by suicide, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Star-Telegram is not publishing the man’s name because his death was listed as a suicide.
Police responded to the area of 4700 E. Rosedale St. around 8 p.m. Wednesday after 911 callers said the man was on fire in the street.
The man was found burning on a sidewalk in front of fenced-in property that is the grounds of Chùa Hương Đạo, a Buddhist temple. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website lists the cause of death as a combination of thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion.
The man’s mother said he was a son and a father who suffered from mental illness.
“I would hope this would bring awareness to mental health and the tragedy that can result from not getting it under control and having it treated properly, because he suffered from it for many years,” his mother told the Star-Telegram. “I would also ask people to respect our privacy and so forth, because he was a beloved son and also a father.”
The medical examiner’s office listed the man’s address as a transitional living facility on East Berry Street, about two miles from where he died.
A monk at the Vietnamese temple who identified himself to a reporter as the Rev. Nguyen said he and other monks knew nothing about what happened. Nguyen told the Star-Telegram that someone across the street saw several cars stop when the man was burning and people try to stop the fire before firefighters and police arrived.
A video of the incident, circulating on social media, showed multiple bystanders attempting to put out the fire as the man, engulfed in flames, lay on his stomach on the sidewalk. Bystanders tried to cover the man in what appeared to be blankets or towels, as others poured water from plastic bottles onto the man.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. People who need help can also text “Home” to 741-741 to access the crisis text line.
This story was originally published February 12, 2022 at 5:34 PM.