Teen dies of gunshot wound

CORNWALL — A 17-year-old Wamogo High School student was found dead at the top of Mohawk Mountain April 14 as the result of a gunshot wound, which appeared to be self-inflicted, according to police.Michael Bockrath, a junior at the regional high school in Litchfield, left his home in Goshen on Sharon Turnpike (Route 4), a short distance to the west of the mountain access road, sometime during the early morning hours Thursday. He was the son of Robert and Karen Bockrath.A car and 30-30 rifle were later reported to police as missing from the family home. State Police were investigating at about 6:30 a.m. when a jogger called 911 to report a man with a gunshot wound below the lookout tower at the peak. Bockrath was pronounced dead at the scene. Michael was a standout soccer player for Wamogo and was known to many Region One School District students. Some had heard he was dealing with family and relationship issues.Students at Wamogo, which includes the Region Six towns of Warren, Morris and Goshen, were offered grief counseling on Thursday and Friday. Region Six is on spring break this week, and Wamogo Principal William Egan advised families to call the 211 helpline at any time “if you feel your child is in need of assistance.”On the school website, Egan wrote, “Yesterday we were notified of a sudden loss of one of our students, Michael Bockrath. The Wamogo and Region Six community is deeply saddened by his untimely death. Our hearts are saddened for his family and the entire Region Six community so deeply affected by his loss.“In the last 24 hours, I have tried to find the right words to say to people who are struggling to deal with this tragedy. Sadly, the best I seem to be able to do is give a hug and let people know that I care. There seemingly are no right words and I know that as a community we will continue to be there to comfort each other over the coming weeks and months.”