Photo: Crime scene after suspect shot himself in the head inside a police car; source KVUE.
A man arrested for shoplifting shot himself in the head—while handcuffed—in the back of an Austin (TX) police cruiser yesterday, according to a KVUE news report.
Austin Police were dispatched to the Barton Creek Mall regarding a shoplifting complaint. While playing the identity game, officers were attempting to verify his identity and discovered that the man had outstanding felony warrants.
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And in what should have been a routine procedure, the man was arrested, handcuffed, and placed in the police vehicle.
En route to the station for fingerprinting to determine his identity, the man began expressing suicidal thoughts to the arresting officer.
And when the officer asked if the man had a gun—he replied “yes.” He then pulled a handgun from his waistband—while handcuffed—and put it to his head.
Several minutes later, the man shot himself in the head.
He suffered life-threatening injuries, but was still alive when transported to a local medical center.
A camera inside the police car recorded the incident.
The arresting officer was an 11-year veteran. And it has not been made clear how the suspect’s gun was not discovered—before—the man was handcuffed and placed inside the police vehicle.
