Austin bombings suspect 'killed' after being tracked down by Texas police

Explosives control officials confirm they are on scene with FBI and police

A suspect in the serial bombings that have plagued Texas is dead following a police shooting in Austin, the state’s capital, according to local media reports.

CBS Austin reported that an explosive device detonated following a police pursuit in the city.

Austin Police Department chief Brian Manley later confirmed a 24-year-old white male suspect had died after triggering a bomb near a hotel on IH-35. Follow our live blog for more updates.

Broadcast footage showed a swarm of police vehicles outside a building near a main road in Round Rock, a city in the greater Austin area.

Austin Police said an officer-involved shooting had taken place in the 1700 block of the northern IH-35 road.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed it was at “the scene of the individual suspected in the #packagebombmurders” with Austin Police and the FBI.

The Austin American-Statesman cited an unidentified police source as saying the suspected bomber had taken his own life.

Texas has suffered a spate of bombings that have killed two people and seriously injured four others.

Investigators have been pursuing a suspected serial bomber in Austin since the first explosion on 2 March in which a 39-year old man was killed. A 17-year-old boy was killed and two women were injured in two separate blasts on 12 March.

On Sunday, two men — ages 22 and 23 — were injured in a blast trigged by a tripwire. A worker at a FedEx distribution center was treated and released Tuesday morning after reporting ringing in her ears.

More follows…