FRANKFORT, Ky. — The man who abducted an Ohio State University student and led Kentucky State Police on a chase Monday shot and killed the woman he had abducted before a trooper fatally shot him, authorities said Wednesday.
Ty'rell Pounds, 24, forced 20-year-old Skylar Williams into a vehicle at gunpoint in a parking lot on OSU's Mansfield campus Monday morning. The two had a child together and were going through custody issues, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Kentucky troopers began pursuing a minivan driven by pounds southbound on Interstate 71 Monday afternoon after a 911 caller at a Gallatin County gas station reported a woman mouthed "help me" before she was forced into the vehicle by a man. At the time, troopers were unaware of the Ohio abduction, Kentucky State Police Commissioner Richard Sanders said.
Troopers were eventually able to stop the minivan after Pounds pulled off the interstate and attempted to get back on. Sanders said Trooper Joey Brown executed a maneuver which stopped the minivan and spun it 180 degrees. Pounds rammed into another police cruiser before backing up and hitting Brown's cruiser.
With the two vehicles side-by-side, driver door to driver door, Sanders said Brown saw Pounds, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, had a gun. He alerted other officers and then fired at Pounds. Several shots hit Pounds in the vest, as well as some hitting above and to the side. Pounds died "fairly soon," Sanders said.
Williams was also suffering from a gunshot wound. It wasn't immediately clear when she had been shot. Sanders said the bullet went through her left arm and into her side. The forensics lab has determined that the bullet was fired from Pounds' gun, Sanders said.
Brown attempted first aid on Williams, and she was driven to University of Louisville Hospital for treatment, but she died there.
Sanders expressed regret that first responders were unable to save Williams and praised the officers and troopers for their efforts.
"They responded in the way which they're trained, and I'm proud of the way they handled themselves," he said.
Brown is a five-year veteran with Kentucky State Police currently assigned to Post 5. Sanders called him "an exemplary trooper" and said he's an example to others in law enforcement. Brown is currently on administrative leave pending completion of the investigation.
Williams had filed a protection order against Pounds, according to police reports obtained by ABC News. She accused him of raping her last September and of attempting to puller her into his vehicle at a gas station last month.
Authorities said their child was safe with family.
