The manhunt ended against a suspect accused of shooting a Texas state police officer on Friday night.
DeArthur Pinson Jr., who was being sought in connection with the murder of police officer Chad Walker, apparently took his own life, officials said on Saturday.
Pinson escaped capture after the incident near Mexia, Limestone County, even after an expanded search was launched and a Blue Alert was issued.
Fox News was unable to immediately contact the Texas Department of Public Security (DPS), but the Police Association said the “suspect is dead” in a Facebook post on Saturday night.
Limestone County Judge Richard Duncan told Waco’s KXXV-TV that Pinson’s death was suicide.
The group said the police shooting took place around 8 pm on Friday, when Walker responded to a “driver assistance” alert. Walker stopped behind a damaged vehicle, but was shot before he could park the car.
DeArthur Pinson, 36, was wanted in connection with the murder of a Texas state police officer, officials said.
“Before Trooper Walker could stop his patrol unit [the suspect] immediately emerged from the driver’s seat of the disabled vehicle armed with a pistol and fired several shots at Trooper Walker through the windshield of the patrol unit, “the Association of Officers said.
Walker was hit in the head and abdomen.
The suspect, believed to have been Pinson, retrieved a black backpack from his car before fleeing the scene on foot.
Pinson, from Palestine, Texas, had a long criminal record, including a 10-year sentence for armed robbery and an arrest for desertion from the U.S. Army, the KXXV reported.
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According to the group’s most recent post on Walker’s health, the soldier remained in a “stable but critical state”.
Walker is married and has a 15-year-old son, two 7-year-old twin daughters and a 2-month-old daughter.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).