Man who shut down highway in Worcester fatally shot himself, likely killed other man, police say

A man fatally shot himself on Wednesday in Worcester when he was approached by police on I-190, following police discovering another shooting victim in the area, officials say.

At 2:20 p.m., Worcester Police officers were dispatched to Heroult Road to respond to a report of a possible gunshot victim, according to a statement from police.

Officers found a male shooting victim at the scene who “suffered serious wounds,” the statement said. The man was taken in an ambulance and died at the hospital.

Soon after, a Massachusetts state trooper approached another man who was “acting suspiciously,” and who proceeded to brandish a firearm and fire a round, authorities said.

The trooper told the man to drop his weapon, but he ran away, they said.

Police shut down part of I-190 after several reports of a man with a gun near the area, Massachusetts State Police said. At 4 p.m., MassDOT said that Exit 2 on I-190 was shut down, but roads reopened to cars around 7:34 p.m.

At 3:24 p.m., Worcester Police were dispatched to I-190 northbound, not far from Heroult Road, for a report of “an armed man stopping traffic on the highway and pointing a firearm at motorists,” the statement said.

Worcester Police officers and Massachusetts State Police troopers approached the man on foot on the highway, officials said. The man then began trying to carjack motorists, they said.

A Worcester Police officer and a Massachusetts state trooper fired their guns during the encounter, authorities said, just before the man turned his firearm around and shot himself.

The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities believe the man from the I-190 incident is the suspect from the Heroult Road incident, and said there is no current danger to the public. Neither man’s name had been released by police as of Thursday morning.