A fugitive ex-cop who authorities say went on the run after allegedly killing his ex-wife and 17-year-old girlfriend in Washington state was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a chase in Oregon.
His 1-year-old son, who was with him, was safe, Oregon State Police troopers said.
Troopers began chasing ex-Yakima officer Elias Huizar southbound on Interstate 5 near Eugene, Oregon, at about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The high-speed chase included an exchange of gunfire, Oregon state police said at a news briefing.
The chase ended when Huizar hit a vehicle that was stopped due to a crash. He then shot himself, according to the Associated Press.
Police then pulled the uninjured baby from the car.
"All day our thoughts have been how to rescue this young boy and we're thankful for the outcome that occurred," Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy said at a news conference.
Earlier in the day, a clerk at a Plaid Pantry convenience store on Hayden Island in the Columbia River between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, told Portland police he might have seen Elias Huizar early Tuesday, according to KGW-TV.
The clerk reportedly said the man he saw bought a drink in the store around 12:45 a.m.
Hayden Island is about 200 miles west of West Richland, Washington, where Huizar's ex-wife and girlfriend were slain.
On Monday night, the Washington State Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Huizar and his 1-year-old son Roman and said Huizar might be headed to Mexico.
Authorities had said the fugitive former Yakima, Washington, police officer should be considered armed and dangerous.
Huizar was facing a Feb. 3 rape charge involving a teenage girl when he allegedly shot his ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, around 3:20 p.m. Monday outside the school in West Richland, Washington, where she worked as a paraeducator.
Cops reportedly found the body of Huizar's girlfriend Angelica Santos, who is Roman's mother, when they searched his nearby home.
