PURDY (AP) - Authorities say a gun battle between Washington State Troopers and a man in Purday, Washington, ended with man fatally shooting himself.
KOMO reports troopers tried to pull over a driver in a pickup truck for an unspecified reason in Bremerton just before 9 p.m. Thursday when he drove off, leading troopers on a brief chase.
During the chase the man eventually crashed and his truck rolled into a ditch in Purdy.
Authorities say the driver started firing at troopers when they approached the vehicle. Troopers returned fire. The medical examiner identified the driver Friday afternoon as Trevor Messenger. A preliminary ruling has found that Messinger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department will investigate. No officers were injured.
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