Sheriff’s deputies in Fountain Hills responded in force to a report of a man with a gun in Fountain Park Monday morning.

According to Sheriff’s Lt. John D’Amico the man had a handgun and had fired one shot into the lake.

When deputies arrived they located the man near the playground area off El Lago Boulevard at the south end of the park.

Deputies sealed off the area and told people to get into cover. Customers and employees at businesses at the PlazaFountainside were told to stay inside.

Park employee Eric Smyth said he was told to get inside and stay. He went into his office in the restroom/control building and locked the door. He was able to watch some of the incident unfold through a window. He said numerous deputies deployed around the area with their automatic rifles in hand.

D’Amico said fortunately one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene was Sgt. Romney, who is a qualified negotiator. Within a matter of minutes Romney had persuaded the man to give up the gun.

The man, in his mid-60s, is a Scottsdale resident, according to D’Amico. He had been threatening suicide, but he never threatened deputies with his weapon.

The man was transported to a Scottsdale hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, D’Amico said.

Although the man was identified as a resident of Scottsdale, park employee Eric Smyth said he sees the man at Fountain Park fairly often.

Smyth said the man wears a large cowboy hat and tall socks with shorts.