Authorities have released the name of a Texas murder suspect who took his own life during a police pursuit in Alabama Saturday morning.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Francisco Gonzales. He was 22 and had a listed residence of Elizabeth, N.J.
Trussville police Chief Eric Rush said one of the city’s Flock Safety cameras, which records license plates, hit on a stolen vehicle about 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Police found the vehicle at a service station on Chalkville Road and tried to pull over the driver, but he refused to stop. A short chase ensued until the suspect’s vehicle crashed into another car on North Chalkville Road near Boulder Drive.
Officers initially thought the suspect was barricaded inside his vehicle because he refused to come out, but they then realized he had sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Rush said.
Gonzalez was pronounced dead on the scene at 9:45 a.m.
The vehicle had been stolen in Texas. Rush said a murder warrant out of Harris County, Texas had been issued against the suspect overnight.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Gonzalez was accused in the Friday morning shooting death of 27-year-old Saymo Pieternelle. The victim was a friend Gonzalez, authorities said.
The deadly shooting happened about 8:30 a.m. Friday. The victim was found in front of the Cambria Cove Apartments after a witness flagged down police.
