Fatal shooting on turnpike a suicide, official says

A fatal shooting on the Kansas Turnpike earlier this month has been confirmed as a suicide.

A Butler County sheriff’s deputy was driving north on the turnpike late on the afternoon of Sept. 16 when he noticed a motorcycle sitting on the shoulder and a man lying in the ditch, authorities have said.

The deputy stopped and discovered the man lying face down and not breathing. He called for an ambulance and then found a gunshot wound to the man’s chest as he was conducting CPR, authorities said.

An EMS crew arrived and attempted to revive the man but ultimately pronounced him dead. A gun was found at the scene.

Subsequent investigation determined the gunshot wound was was self-inflicted, Butler County Sheriff Kelly Herzet said Wednesday.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Fatal shooting on turnpike a suicide, official says."