Police say pursuit suspect died of self-inflicted gunshot wound

Police say a suspect who led police on a car chase before being taken to the hospital for a reported self-inflicted gunshot wound late Thursday morning has died.

The suspect attempted to evade officers late Thursday morning on Interstate 30 between Nash and New Boston, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Kyle Bradford, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the suspect, whose name was being held at presstime, died at a local hospital sometime before 8 p.m. Thursday.

The shooting happened about 9:45 a.m. near the 204 mile marker of the westbound lane of I-30.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital. His condition was not available at the time, according to officials.

“At the request of the Nash Police Department, Texas Rangers were asked to conduct an investiga

tion,” Bradford initially said in a DPS news release earlier Thursday.

The preliminary investigation indicates Nash police were attempting to apprehend the suspect, who was driving a silver Chevrolet pickup and the suspect evaded them, Bradford said.

“The suspect’s vehicle was stopped with the help of other law enforcement and the utilization of a tire deflation device. At the conclusion of the stop, the suspect suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment,” Bradford said. He said earlier Thursday that Rangers were still gathering information in order to determine the suspect’s name and the reason the suspect was evading law officers.

As of presstime Thursday evening, Bradford said no additional information was available regarding the investigation, and the Nash Police Department also declined comment as of Thursday afternoon.

Westbound traffic on I-30 was backed up for a couple of hours after the incident.

Bowie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene along with Texarkana, Texas, Police Department crime scene investigators.

Staff photo by Hunt Mercier ■ Texas state troopers and Nash police officers investigate the crime scene where a vehicle pursuit ended Thursday on Interstate 30 near New Boston. The chase began in Nash. The suspect’s vehicle was stopped with the help of other law enforcement and the use of a tire deflation device. Police say the suspect suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and later died in the hospital.

Staff photo by Hunt Mercier ■ The back of a crime scene investigator's truck sits in front of a Chevy Silverado belonging to a suspect who led police on an interstate chase Thursday morning from Nash to New Boston, Texas.