Handcuffed Suspect Dies After Shooting Self While Inside Austin Police Squad Car [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX — The suspect who shot himself in the head while handcuffed in the back of a patrol car on Sunday has died, a family member told a newspaper.

A spokesman for the family of the suspect identified the man as Zachary Anam, 19, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The newspaper also reported that, according to multiple sources, the arresting police officer failed to conduct a thorough pat-down in apprehending the suspect, which led to his shooting himself while under arrest.

Anam had already been handcuffed by a security officer at the Barton Creek Mall, where had been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, before Austin officers arrived to transport him to police headquarters.

Citing court records, the Statesman reported that Anam was one of four men accused of engaging in organized crime activity last year stemming from a rash of car burglaries in southwest Austin in late March to early May.

The newspaper also reports that Anam was charged with possession of a controlled substance and a aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon after allegedly robbing a man during the course of a handgun purchase last September, according to court records.

From Jan. 8:

AUSTIN, TX -- A young male shoplifting suspect is reportedly in critical condition after shooting himself in the head while riding in the back of an Austin Police Department squad car Sunday.

The suspect had been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting at the Barton Creek Mall when allegedly he told officers transporting him that he wanted to kill himself. Then, while still handcuffed, he pulled a gun from his waistband, pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger, Interim Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters at a subsequent news conference.

The suspect has not yet been publicly identified. Authorities are still investigating to find out why the suspect had a loaded weapon while riding in a squad car. The incident occurred downtown just after 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Manley said the suspect is either in his late teens or early 20s. The entire incident was captured by in-car video surveillance, and an investigation will be conducted, Manley said.

During the news conference, a reporter asked Manley if it was customary for police to conduct a search and pat-down of an arrested suspect, but he simply responded "Yes, it is." He gave no clues as to how, then, it was possible that the firearm in the suspect's waistband could go undetected by police.

The incident occurred at Barton Creek Mall where he was placed under arrest for shoplifting and possession of controlled substance after officers reported there at noon. The man was placed in the back of a squad car as police tried to determine his identify.

Through the course of that crimes database search, the man was found to possibly have had several felony warrants for his arrest, Manley said. Officers then began to transport him to police headquarters, with another police car as backup.

During the trip, Manley said the young man began to express suicidal thoughts before pulling out a handgun from the back part of his pants waistband along the 500 block of Lavaca, After six minutes of holding the gun to his head, he fire one shot into his head, Manley said.

It was then that EMS was called to the scene, with medical crews taking him to University Medical Center Brackenridge hospital. Manley noted the officers involved in the incident are both officers: The one transporting the suspect on the force for 11 years and the backup officer a veteran of 7 years.

>>> Tony Cantu contributed to this story

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