AGANA, Guam -- Former Gov. Ricardo J. Bordallo, scheduled to begin serving a prison sentence next week for corruption, wrapped himself in Guam's flag, chained himself to a statue on a main road and fatally shot himself in the head Wednesday, police said.
Bordallo, 62, shot himself about 3 p.m. and died 90 minutes later at a U.S. Navy hospital, police said.
He had been scheduled to travel Wednesday night to Boron, Calif., to begin serving a three-year prison term following convictions of extorting campaign funds and witness tampering while governor of the unincorporated U.S. territory in the south Pacific.
Highway workers who witnessed the shooting said that after Bordallo had shrouded himself in the island's flag and chained himself to the statue of ancient Chamorro tribal leader Chief Kapuha, he pulled a pistol from his pocket, put it to his head and fired.
'We had no chance to act,' said one of the workers on Marine Drive, the chief thoroughfare in the capital. 'It was just one, two and three.'
Bordallo, a Democrat, won four-year terms as governor in 1974 and 1982. His indictment came while he was campaigning for reelection.
A longtime critic of the U.S. government, Bordallo was tried in a federal court early last year after being investigated by the FBI and indicted on corruption charges by a federal grand jury.
The former governor had maintained the federal government had no jurisdiction over him. He said he was subject solely to the laws of Guam.
After his attorneys exhausted their appeals, Bordallo was ordered to report to Boron by Feb. 5.
Bordallo's wife, Sen. Madeleine Bordallo, could not be reached for comment. She said Tuesday that she intended to accompany her husband to California.
Guam, surrendered by Spain to the United States in 1898 following the Spanish-American War, is an unincorporated territory administered by the U.S. Interior Department. It became a U.S. territory in July 1950.
Southernmost and largest of the Mariana Islands with 209 square miles -- 30 miles long and 4 to 8 miles wide -- Guam lies 1,500 miles southeast of the Philippines and 3,000 west of Hawaii. Its location makes it an important refueling stop for trans-Pacific air traffic.
West of the International Date Line and 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard time, Guam bills itself as 'Where America's day begins.'
Its 130,000 people are American citizens but cannot vote for president. Since 1972, Guam has had one representative in the U.S. House who can vote in committee but not on the House floor.
Guam has elected its own governor since 1970. Previously, governors were appointed by the U.S. president.
