Colorado Parolee Identified As Man In Texas Shootout

A paroled Colorado inmate who is thought to be linked to the slaying of Texas state's prison chief took state deputies on a 100 mph car chase that ended Thursday when he crashed into a semi and began to shoot at authorities, the Associated Press reports. The incident ended when the inmate, Evan Spencer Ebel, was shot.

Ebel, 28, was operating a Cadillac in Texas that had the same description of the car seen fleeing the residence of prison chief Tom Clements around the time the chief killed. Authorities believe Ebel will not survive.

Colorado investigators rushed to Texas to conclude if Ebel killed Clements, and if he's responsible for the Sunday murder of Nathan Leon, a pizza deliveryman from Denver. Police in Colorado believe the connection is strong. Clements' death shocked his quiet neighborhood in Monument, Colo., the AP reported.

James Boyd, a sheriff's deputy in Montague County, Texas, attempted to pull over the Cadillac around 11 a.m. Thursday, as a routine measure, according to authorities there.

That’s when the driver began to shoot at Boyd, wounding him, according to Wise County Sheriff David Walker. Boyd was shot twice in his bulletproof vest, and a third shot grazed his head, reports NBC News.

Ebel immediately fled south before crashing his car into an 18-wheel semi-truck rock hauler, reports the Wise County Messenger.

But the crash didn’t stop Ebel. He stepped out of the car and continued to shoot at deputies and troopers.

"He wasn't planning on being taken alive," Police Chief Rex Hoskins said, the AP reports.

The car is the main link between the Colorado case and the Texas shootout, the AP said. "We don't know yet exactly whether this is the guy," Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper told reporters Thursday. "There's some indication. I hope it is."

Some of the facts that link Ebel and the Colorado killing are blurry. He was convicted of multiple crimes in 2003 while paroled, but information involving Clements' death could not be released because of the investigation, Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Alison Morgan said.