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A former Washington state police officer accused of killing his ex-wife and 17-year-old girlfriend – as well as abducting the 1-year-old son he shared with his girlfriend – has been found dead with a self-inflicted bullet wound to the head following a chase in Oregon, authorities said Tuesday.
Oregon State Troopers found the wounded body of Elias Huizar, 39, following a police chase near Eugene at around 3 p.m. Tuesday. His 1-year-old baby, who was with him, was taken safely into custody by Oregon State Police troopers.
The troopers began chasing the ex-Yakima officer when they saw him driving southbound on Interstate 5. Huizar fled after a trooper tried to pull over his vehicle, Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy said at a media briefing Tuesday evening.
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Troopers pursued Huizar's vehicle at high speeds and at one point exchanged gunfire with him, according to Kennedy. The pursuit, for about 25 miles, ended when Huizar's vehicle hit a commercial vehicle that was stopped on the interstate because of an unrelated crash.
Huizar's vehicle spun and became immobile in the median, and when troopers tried to make contact with him, he shot himself and died at the scene, Kennedy said.
Huizar is accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, Amber Marie Rodriguez, outside William Wiley Elementary School in West Richland around 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday, Huizar shot Rodriguez eight times in front of their 9-year-old son and other witnesses, police said. Rodriguez had recently obtained a protection order against Huizar.
When police conducted a search at Huizar's home on South Highlands Boulevard later that day, they reportedly located his deceased teenage girlfriend, Apple Valley News reported.
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Later on Monday, Washington State Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Roman Huizar, the suspect's 1-year-old son, whom he reportedly shared with his minor girlfriend. Police said Huizar was traveling to Mexico in a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla, license plate No. CBZ4745, with the 1-year-old boy.
"All day our thoughts have been how to rescue this young boy and we’re thankful for the outcome that occurred," Kennedy said.
Rodriguez filed for a custody change involving her two young sons with Huizar last week, court documents obtained by the Tri-City Herald revealed.
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One of Rodriguez's friends described her as "sweet and kind" in a Monday Facebook post.
The couple divorced in 2020, and Rodriguez reportedly filed for a protection officer after Huizar was accused of raping a teenage girl in February, the Tri-City Herald reported.
Huizar allegedly sexually assaulted the unconscious teen after the victim and Huizar's teenage girlfriend had been drinking. Police arrested the 39-year-old officer after his girlfriend allegedly caught him assaulting her friend, the Tri-City News reported.
Investigators were working to determine whether Huizar's girlfriend was of legal age when she became pregnant with their child, the outlet reported.
The former officer posted $200,000 bail after his arrest, and the rape case was pending at the time of his wife's and girlfriend's murders on Monday.
According to court records, Huizar had, at least until early this year, been living with the 17-year-old girl whom he met when she was 11, and he was a middle school resource officer in Yakima.
He impregnated her when she was 15, and their baby recently turned 1, Rodriguez wrote in seeking a protection order against Huizar.
The Yakima Police Department said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Huizar left the department in 2021 "after receiving discipline." It did not provide any other information.
The Richland School District said it terminated Huizar's employment following his arrest in February. It said it had received recommendations from the Yakima School District before hiring him in 2022, and that he had passed background checks.
"We are extremely disheartened that information about Mr. Huizar’s past was not disclosed to us through the various processes we have in place to vet RSD candidates for employment," the district said. "It is the expectation for individuals who apply for employment with RSD to be forthcoming and truthful in their applications."
