ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The Union County Sheriff’s Office said that two women and a suspect were found dead on Tuesday following a standoff on I-75 near Paynes Prairie.
The agency said that the situation began around 4:30 p.m. when it found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds near S.W. County Road 241, near the Providence area.
As deputies arrived at the scene, they said the suspect had left the area in a black Ford F-150, but managed to make contact with them via telephone.
The sheriff’s office added that a statewide notice was sent out when the suspect fled the scene, which prompted multiple agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol, to join the investigation.
As the investigation unfolded, FHP troopers and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission found the suspect traveling southbound on I-75, near Alachua County.
Officials said that a PIT maneuver was used by law enforcement to stop the vehicle in an effort to apprehend the suspect. When law enforcement tried to make contact with the suspect, they were found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
The multi-agency investigation is ongoing.
“Prayers for all the victims and their families. Suspect name will be released as soon as possible,” the Union County Sheriff’s Office said.
Earlier in the day, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said that I-75 South near Paynes Prairie has been shut down as deputies attempt to take an “armed” and “dangerous” suspect into custody.
Live traffic footage of the area could be seen earlier, but FL 511 had removed the live feed of the incident.