An off-duty Bismarck police officer discovered the body of a Mandan man Wednesday afternoon at the McLean Bottoms rifle range.

Mark Persson, a dentist in Bismarck, died of a gunshot wound, said Maj. Nick Sevart of the Burleigh County Sheriff's Department. Sevart said an autopsy by the state medical examiner confirmed the gunshot was self-inflicted. Final autopsy results, which aren't expected before next week, could determine if the shooting was accidental, Sevart said.

"We know this wasn't somebody else shooting him," Sevart said. "We don't suspect any foul play."

Persson, 49, had been shooting a .50-caliber muzzleloading rifle.

Brad King, a dentist and partner of Persson's at Prairie Rose Family Dentists, said the shooting appeared accidental.

"Just looking at the circumstances, he was at the rifle range, he put out a target and actually took a shot at it before this happened," King said.

Sevart said other people arrived at the range shortly after the police officer discovered Persson's body. The officer notified authorities shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Chris Grondahl, outreach supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, which operates the rifle range, said there have been no other fatalities in the facility's 30 years.

King said the last contact he had with Persson was Wednesday morning, when Persson asked King to perform a free root canal for a patient who needed it but couldn't afford it. Persson offered to pay for the procedure himself, King said.

"He was the sweetest, gentlest, most concerned man I've ever known," King said. "He had this absolute sense of caring for his patients."

Persson was originally from Edgeley, but had been a dentist in town for more than 20 years. He was married to Claire and had two children - a sophomore and a seventh-grader at Shiloh Christian School. Persson had been a member of Shiloh's board of directors for a number of years.

"He has been a valued member of the board (who was) especially interested in quality academics," board member Bill Strutz said. "He was a tremendously courageous individual who stood up for what he believed. … He really is irreplaceable."

Strutz said Persson was an avid reader and a scholar of history, in addition to being a very competent professional.

"He was a devoted Christian in his life," Strutz said. "Personally, I feel a chasm as far as the loss."

Persson's funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Evangel Temple, in Bismarck. Funeral arrangements are pending with Parkway Funeral Service.