A man who fired shots from his vehicle after a police chase Tuesday in Brooklyn Center died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said Thursday.
Authorities identified the man as Justin Procai, 32, of Golden Valley.
According to a search warrant filed Thursday, Procai's father called 911 Tuesday afternoon saying his son was "making suicidal statements" via text messages near County Road 81 and Hwy. 100.
His father also said Procai had pointed a handgun at him through a car window as his son fled the area. The father, still on the phone with 911, followed his son in a different vehicle.
Authorities stopped Procai's vehicle in the 4900 block of Brooklyn Boulevard in Brooklyn Center, Sheriff Rich Stanek said Tuesday night. According to the search warrant, Procai fired at least one shot from his car. Officers did not return the gunshots, but they did fire less-lethal munitions at the man's vehicle.
Procai was soon taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, and he died Thursday. The medical examiner ruled that his death was a suicide.
The warrant seeks permission to search the vehicle, which could contain firearms and other ballistic evidence and DNA, according to the document.
Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647 Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora
