Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich Dead

A staff member says Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican candidate for governor, died of self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A Thursday statement from Schweich's spokesman confirmed that the 54-year-old had died.

A staff member in the auditor's office told The Associated Press that Schweich had shot himself. The staff member spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the cause of death.

Schweich had earlier been taken to the hospital after what his spokesman described as a "medical situation" at his home in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton.

Schweich had served as state auditor since January 2011 and won re-election to a second, four-year term in November. He announced last month that he was seeking the GOP nomination for governor in 2016.