A mayor of a small Alabama town died by suicide Friday, days after a conservative news blog published photos of him dressed in women’s clothing.
Smiths Station Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, who was also a pastor at First Baptist Church of Phenix City “produced a handgun and took his own” after a slow pursuit following a welfare check, said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.
Two days before Copeland’s death, 1819 News published photos of him wearing women’s clothes and makeup and alleged he was leading a secret life as a transgender woman.
“It is sad and disgusting how he was treated by 1819 News,” said former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones.
“We live in a mean, bitter world where the self righteous tend to throw the largest stones.”
According to the Ledger-Enquirer, Copeland addressed the online story during a Wednesday evening service at his church, where he stated that he had become the target of an internet attack.
