A man died overnight Monday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police pursuit that ended on a Casper highway, officials with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation said Tuesday.
Special Agent Ryan Cox said when police arrived at the stopped vehicle, the man appeared to have been shot. DCI Commander Matt Waldock said Tuesday afternoon that the gunshot appeared to be self-inflicted.
Waldock said DCI does not believe law enforcement fired their weapons.
Cox said DCI has not yet determined whether the man fired at police. Investigators recovered a handgun at the scene, he said.
DCI is a statewide law enforcement agency that — among other duties — typically investigates shootings involving police officers.
The pursuit began Monday night, Cox said, following a citizen’s call reporting a stolen Dodge pickup. Police spotted the vehicle and took chase, following the truck north on Interstate 25. When the chase ended between the Center and Poplar Street exits, the man was found to be suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, Cox said.
People are also reading…
Law enforcement officers used spike strips, Waldock said, though he did not know how the pickup wrecked.
DCI has confirmed the pickup was stolen, he said. Waldock believed the man was also wanted out of Gillette.
The Natrona County Coroner’s Office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of the man’s death. Waldock deferred to the coroner to identify the man.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol, Natrona County Sheriff’s Office and Casper Police Department were also involved in the pursuit, Cox said.
Although parts of the highway were closed Monday night, by 8 a.m. Tuesday, the scene had been cleared.