Kevin Ward was elected mayor in May 2021.
Kevin Ward, the mayor of Hyattsville, Maryland, has died by suicide. He was elected mayor in May 2021, after serving two terms on the Washington DC commuter town’s city council.
In campaign materials, Mayor Ward called himself “straightforward” and “equally apt to listen to Stevie Nicks as Megan Thee Stallion.”
“I believe that if I can help someone, then I can change her or his life,” he once said.
United States Park Police found Mayor Ward’s body in Virginia’s Fort Marcy Park, about 20 miles away from Hyattsville. The city says he died on January 25 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Afterward, the governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, expressed his condolences via Twitter.
Mayor Ward is survived by a husband and two sons. He was 44 years old.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255