A Texas state trooper was hospitalized Saturday in critical but stable condition after being shot near the city of Mexia, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The suspect fled on foot and later killed himself, Limestone County Judge Richard Duncan said Saturday, according to the Mclennan County Sheriff’s Office.

Trooper Chad Walker was shot about 7:45 p.m. Friday while stopping to assist a motorist in an apparently disabled vehicle west of Mexia, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) southeast of Dallas, according to the statement from DPS regional director Todd Snyder.

Walker had not come to a stop behind the vehicle on the shoulder of the roadway when the gunman, identified as 37-year-old DeArthur Pinson, got out of the disabled vehicle and opened fire, Snyder said.

Walker was struck in the head and abdomen and was later flown to a hospital in Waco, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) away.

Authorities launched a manhunt for Pinson and he was reported dead Saturday. Officials did not immediately release further details.