Police: Man Shot in St. Cloud, Suspect Dies After Police Chase

(KNSI) — An investigation is underway after a shooting suspect, who fled police, died by suicide Monday afternoon.

According to a press release from the St. Cloud Police Department, about 2:40 p.m., police were called to a shooting in a parking lot on the 1000 block of 5th Avenue South. They say a 20-year-old man was found on the ground and had suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Officers determined that the suspect fled the scene and put out a vehicle description to surrounding agencies. A short time later, a vehicle matching the description was found on Interstate 94 by two Stearns County deputies just west of Clearwater.

According to a press release from the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, deputies tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled east on Interstate 94. The Minnesota State Patrol and the Wright County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the pursuit, which ended near Monticello just west of Highway 25 after police set out road spikes to deflate the vehicle’s tires.

When officers approached, the person inside appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was later pronounced dead. No officers fired their weapons during the incident.

The identity of the suspect is being withheld pending further investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200, Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-255-1301, or www.tricountycrimestoppers.org.

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