West Richland, Washington – Authorities in Oregon discovered Elias Huizar, a former police officer suspected of murdering two women in central Washington and abducting a 1-year-old child, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Tuesday. Huizar, 40, had fled the scene of a deadly shooting at an elementary school in West Richland on Monday. The pursuit by Oregon State Patrol on Interstate 5 near Eugene led to Huizar sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, as reported by the West Richland Police Department.
The 1-year-old child, Roman Santos, was safely taken into custody by state troopers. A news briefing was scheduled for Wednesday morning in West Richland.
Huizar was earlier seen driving a black sedan overnight Monday into Tuesday, according to West Richland police. Tips from police in Portland, Oregon, led to the discovery of his whereabouts. On Monday, Huizar allegedly shot and killed one woman outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland before authorities found another homicide victim at his home. The victims were identified as Huizar’s ex-wife and girlfriend.
Before the incident, Huizar had worked as a police officer in Yakima, approximately an hour away from West Richland. He faced charges of sexual assault earlier this year, including second-degree rape and furnishing alcohol for minors. Huizar was also charged with third-degree rape for an alleged intimate relationship with a minor over several years.
Authorities had believed Huizar was attempting to flee to Mexico with the abducted child. Initially, a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla with Washington state license plates was flagged as the vehicle he used to escape. Police described 1-year-old Roman Huizar as 2 feet tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. Concerned that Huizar was likely to commit more crimes, authorities asked for the public’s assistance in locating him.