Vermont man deceased in Route 91 incident

A 27-year-old Vermont man is deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, following a traffic pursuit on Interstate 91 last night shortly after 9 p.m.

Massachusetts State Police troopers attempted to stop the suspect vehicle on I-91 in Holyoke for having an unreadable license plate.  The operator of the vehicle sped away reaching speeds of approximately 100-112 mph, according to police.  

The vehicle attempted to exit the Interstate at Exit 18 in Northampton but failed to negotiate the turn, drove through the median and collided with the guardrail alongside the northbound on-ramp.  

Upon reaching the vehicle, police found the driver, who was the only person in it, with a gunshot wound to the head.  A firearm and a discharged cartridge casing were also found inside the vehicle.  The driver was pronounced dead at the scene  

The incident remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, the MSP Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, MSP Crime Scene Services Section, MSP Ballistics Unit, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.