Man who police say shot himself after chase has been ID'd

July 27, 2019 at 5:14 a.m. | Updated July 27, 2019 at 5:14 a.m.

by Lori Dunn

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.
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.

A man who allegedly shot himself after evading police on Interstate 30 Thursday morning has been identified as James H. Austin, 41, of Texarkana according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Austin died Thursday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.

The reason he attempted to evaded authorities between Nash and New Boston, Texas, remains under investigation, according to DPS.

Staff Sgt. Kyle Bradford, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Austin died at a local hospital 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 Nash Police Department requested the Texas Rangers conduct an investigation into the incident.

The preliminary probe 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.

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