Clifford Knauss

Suicide

Clifford Knauss, 81, asked his wife if she wanted to die with him, then walked into his backyard and fatally shot himself in front of eight Denville police officers with guns drawn, demanding he drop his weapon. Knauss, a retired gas station owner and mechanic, pointed the World War II-era 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his chest and pulled the trigger at about 9:48 a.m. Allegedly, he thought he was going to get caught for asking multiple insurance agencies to pay for his prescriptions.