Published: March 22, 2008 05:44 pm            

Identity of man involved in I-65 shooting still unknown

The identity of a man who shot himself Friday following a police pursuit along Interstate 65 will not be released until early next week, said Roger Wheeler, with the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.

Preliminary identification was made Saturday, but Wheeler said Indiana State Police won’t be 100 percent sure of the victim’s identification until reviewing results from fingerprinting.

The office confirmed the victim is a white male who was a resident of Martinsville.

According to a release from Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin, the man shot himself in the head with a handgun.

“The preliminary cause of death is what you’d expect — cerebral trauma secondary to a gunshot wound,” Wheeler said.

Toxicology results are also pending.

According to a release from Indiana State Police, the shooting followed a routine traffic stop by Trooper Derrek Simpson on I-65 southbound near Seymour. The victim, who was driving a red 1995 Chevrolet pickup truck, was driving 81 mph in a 70-mph zone. The man told police he did not have a license or vehicle registration in the truck but provided a name upon being questioned by Simpson.

Soon after, Trooper Matt Holley arrived on the scene to provide assistance. When Holley approached the pickup truck, the driver allegedly fled the scene in the vehicle. The troopers pursued the truck from the 51-mile marker to approximately the 47-mile marker where the driver pulled over to the side of the road. As troopers approached the truck, the driver allegedly pulled a handgun and put it to his own head. He allegedly shot himself after about 15 minutes of unsuccessful attempts by the troopers to persuade him to lower his weapon.

Indiana State Police are currently investigating possible reasons the driver may have shot himself following the chase.

“To be quite honest, that’s our biggest question,” ISP Sgt. Trevor Wiggam said. “Why? Trying to figure out the situation that made him do that.”

        

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