WORCESTER, Mass. — Authorities are continuing to investigate connected shootings in Worcester that left two people dead and forced the closure of both sides of Interstate 190 for hours on Wednesday.
Officers responding to Heroult Road around 2:20 p.m. for a report of a person shot found a man suffering from serious injuries, according to the Worcester Police Department.
The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Neighborhood residents say they heard gunshots and then saw the victim lying in the bushes near a home.
“We just saw gun smoke and then the girls that live down the street came over and said they saw somebody running from the scene,” one resident recalled.
After the shooting, a Massachusetts State Police trooper approached another man who was “acting suspiciously.” Police said that the man then took out a gun, fired a round, and fled on foot.
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Officers were later dispatched to the northbound side of I-190, not far from Heroult Road, for a report of an armed man stopping traffic on the highway and pointing a firearm at motorists just before 3:30 p.m.
The officers, with help from state troopers, chased after the man on foot as he allegedly attempted to carjack motorists on the highway. Law enforcement then discharged their firearms due to the “imminent threat” the man posed, according to authorities.
The man being pursued then turned his firearm on himself and shot himself, officials said. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators believe the man from the I-190 incident is also the suspect from the Heroult Road incident. His name hasn’t been released.
The highway was closed for nearly four hours, leaving afternoon and evening motorists stuck in gridlock traffic.
Worcester police and state police detectives assigned to the Worcester District Attorney’s Office are leading the investigation.
Anyone with information or video of the incidents is asked to call the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508-799-8651.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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