Police continue investigation into assault suspect's attempted suicide

Cape Girardeau police were not yet ready Wednesday to release the name of the man who shot himself after a police chase Tuesday afternoon.

The man, who is suspected of assaulting a woman on Cape LaCroix Recreational Trail on Sunday, led police on a low-speed chase Tuesday afternoon after they were tipped off to his location earlier in the day. At the conclusion of the chase, the man, surrounded by police, pointed a gun at an officer who then struck him with his police cruiser. Once on the ground, the man shot himself in the head.

The man remained in critical condition Wednesday evening at Saint Francis Medical Center, police spokesman Darin Hickey said. The hospital through a representative declined to release any information about the man's condition.

Police will not release the man's name yet "per the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney's Office," according to an email from Hickey.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said Wednesday afternoon that he was unaware of any other victims who may have been attacked by the man. Because the man has not been charged with any crime, his name will not be released, Swingle said.

Police are still trying to make sense of the events Tuesday that culminated with an assault suspect who shot himself in the head rather than be taken into custody.

"It's just a matter of putting these puzzle pieces together," Hickey said Wednesday morning.

Police detectives are collecting reports from officers who were at the public scene Tuesday. Dozens of bystanders watched as emergency responders loaded the man into an ambulance, while a handful of people saw the man shoot himself.

The chase involved every available police officer.

Coroner John Clifton said he would be notified if the man is declared dead or brain-dead. Clifton said Wednesday evening that he has yet to hear anything on the man.

The situation started Sunday afternoon, when a 49-year-old woman reported that she had been assaulted along the Cape LaCroix Recreational Trail near the Osage Centre on Kingshighway. She told police a man who parked near her car in a lot at Lexington Avenue followed her onto the trail. Hickey confirmed Wednesday that the two did not know each other.

The man allegedly walked up behind the woman, pointed a silver handgun at her and threatened her. The man fled, however, when a passer-by entered the wooded area that the suspect had forced his victim into.

The victim gave police a description of the suspect's appearance, vehicle and the license plates. On Tuesday, the police alerted the media asking for help from the public. The truck's license plates were registered to someone in Decatur, Ill., assistant police chief Roger Fields said Tuesday night.

The apartment manager of the West End Apartments saw the media reports and notified police that a man matching the description may be staying at the apartment complex at 45 S. West End Blvd.

When found, the man refused to speak to police. An officer broke a window on the man's truck, and the suspect rammed a police car before leading police on a low-speed chase. Police chased him into an alley near Independence Street where they laid stop-sticks down and flattened the truck's tires.

The suspect went into the parking lot of Dan's Key and Lock Shop, where he exited his truck and pointed a gun at an officer before turning the gun on himself.

A woman who was in the truck with the man during the chase was taken to the police station before being released.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

1625 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO

45 S. West End Blvd., Cape Girardeau, MO

1754 Independence, Cape Girardeau, MO