24 y-o WHITE TEXAS BOMBER: Suspected Austin Bomber Dead In Confrontation With Police... Police said that the suspect died after setting off an explosive device in his car.

By Andy Campbell and Willa Frej

AUSTIN, Texas ― The man suspected of setting off a series of homemade bombs in the Austin area this month, killing two people and terrorizing the city, died early Wednesday in a confrontation with police, authorities said.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said that officers had been pursuing the suspect when he detonated an explosive device in his car, killing himself and injuring one officer. Manley said that an officer also shot at the vehicle. 

Officers located the man’s car at a hotel and called a technical team in for backup. But the suspect left the hotel before the team arrived, at which point officers proceeded to follow the suspect. He then pulled over and detonated the explosive device.

Authorities did not name the suspect but they identified him as a 24-year-old white male. Officials were able to track the suspect down thanks to video footage and witness testimony, Manley said. But police still don’t have any understanding of the man’s motive. They also don’t know whether he was on his way to deliver the bomb that eventually exploded in his car. more