Off-Duty Officer Shoots Self After Stop, Pursuit

An off-duty Montgomery County police officer fatally shot himself after a state trooper stopped him for speeding and suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Maryland State Police.

A trooper stopped 30-year-old Jed Bylsma of Gettysburg, Pa., on Route 50 near Easton around 1:30 a.m. Monday for speeding and noticed signs that the driver, who identified himself as a county officer, was under the influence, police said. While the trooper returned to his cruiser, police said, Bylsma took off.

Bylsma's Nissan struck stop sticks near Airport Road and rolled to a stop and troopers found Bylsma with a gunshot wound to his head and a gun by his hand.

Emergency care was provided, but Bylsma was dead. His body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.