A former police officer accused of killing his ex-wife and girlfriend died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, officials confirmed Tuesday night. The child he was accused of abducting was “uninjured” and taken “safely” into care, according to authorities.
Oregon State Police Captain Kyle Kennedy said the suspect, Elias Huizar, led troopers on a chase after a failed traffic stop on I-5 in Eugene around 2:40 p.m. PT.
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The man and officers exchanged gunfire, he said. No troopers were injured in the incident, according to Kennedy.
The suspect proceeded on, colliding with a commercial vehicle and spinning into the median. According to officials, Huizar then shot himself on Tuesday night.
The abducted 1-year-old child, Roman Santos, previously known by authorities as Roman Huizar, was taken “uninjured” and “safely” into custody by OSP troopers, according to police.
Police hunted for the man all day Tuesday and charged him with first-degree premeditated murder for allegedly shooting and killing his ex-wife, Amber Rodriguez, 31, outside Wiley Elementary School on Monday afternoon, according to officials.
Authorities say Huizar shot and killed Rodriguez during school departure while waiting behind a portable area where he knew she would be.
Hours later, police said they discovered another homicide victim, “a known associate of the suspect,” while serving a search order at Huizar’s home. In the amber notice for the missing youngster, authorities stated that Huizar was also accused of killing his girlfriend.
The Amber Alert was issued on Monday in response to the alleged kidnapping of a one-year-old child. It was canceled late on Tuesday afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, authorities said Huizar may have been seen overnight in Portland, Oregon, driving a black vehicle. Just before 1 a.m., a clerk at a city convenience store contacted 911 to report that Huizar had stopped to buy a drink and had a child in the rear, according to Portland police. Officers responded but could not find Huizar, the child, or the vehicle until Tuesday afternoon.
An official acknowledged that Huizar had worked as a substitute teacher for the Richland School District from November 2021 to June 2023.
Huizar worked as a police officer in Yakima, Washington, between June 2013 and February 2022, according to the agency. He resigned “immediately following discipline,” a department official told ABC News. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the circumstances behind the discipline.
“The catastrophes we’re hearing about in West Richland are heartbreaking.” Words cannot express how deeply we feel for everyone affected by these horrific acts of violence,” Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray said in a statement. “We remain ready to assist in any way we are able.”
