The Pierce County Medical Examiner says a man who got into a pursuit with Washington State Patrol troopers and then crashed his vehicle died by suicide.
Trevor Messenger, 35, of Gig Harbor was traveling on Highway 16 in Kitsap County Thursday night when troopers tried to pull him over for speeding, officials said.
Messenger initially pulled over, but then took off and troopers as well as Kitsap County Sheriff deputies pursued him. He eventually crossed the Kitsap/Pierce County line and crashed his Ford F150 over an embankment in the 15400 block of Purdy Drive, also known as State Route 302, near Gig Harbor.
Messenger fired a shot from inside the truck and troopers fired back. The medical examiner ruled Friday that Messenger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, not from the troopers firing shots.
Messenger died at the scene. No troopers were injured in the incident.
Both directions of SR 302 were shut down for about 10 hours while detectives collected evidence and investigated. The roadway reopened around 3:20 a.m. Friday.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is taking over the investigation of the officer-involved shooting.