Kidnapped woman shot, killed in front of deputies in Del Valle Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Travis County Sheriff's Deputy involved in a shooting on SH 71 near Burch Drive (KXAN Photo/Frank Martinez) Witnesses describe how deadly shooting and kidnapping in Del Valle started Travis County Sheriff's Deputy involved in a shooting on SH 71 near Burch Drive (KXAN Photo/Frank Martinez) prev next

DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) -- A woman was shot and killed by her accused kidnapper in Del Valle Wednesday afternoon. The shooting happened as deputies approached the male suspect and the woman in a field on Burch Drive, just off State Highway 71.

Officials say when the suspect shot the woman, a deputy opened fire, and the suspect then shot himself in the head. The suspect has critical, life-threatening injuries and was taken by Austin-Travis County EMS to South Austin Medical Center. People nearby say it was a huge commotion.

"My mother called me she said that they heard about four gunshots, at which point they looked over and they saw that there was a lady on the floor, it was also a gentleman and there were police officers sitting with their guns aimed at them," Fabian Rocha, a neighbor said.

Before the shooting, the suspect walked into SportClips Haircuts at 489 Agnes in Bastrop around 1:30 p.m. Officers were told he entered the business with a handgun and demanded one of the female employees, who he knew, leave with him.

"Within 10 to 15 minutes there were already seven cop cars that's when we were like oh something must have really happened," says Sky Ramos, who was working close to SportClips.

The woman left with the suspect after he displayed a gun, and they drove westbound on State Highway 71. Travis County deputies were already on SH 71 in Del Valle in response to a large group of Del Valle High School students marching and protesting on the highway near campus.

Ramos says he does remember something strange happening minutes before police showed up.

"I got a phone call at the store this morning, [the caller] said that the phone wasn't working there, they couldn't get through and they wanted me to leave the store and go check and see what was happening over there, I told him I couldn't do that -- and the next thing you know that's what all the cops showed up," Ramos said.

When one of the deputies began firing at the suspect, he shot himself in the head.

Westbound SH 71 was blocked by deputies as they followed behind the protesters. The suspect, approaching the traffic jam, turned off 71 and drove next to Austin First Church.

A deputy driving by saw the vehicle next to the church with both doors open and pulled over to investigate. The suspect and woman, who are both in their 30s, were walking across a field behind the church near Burch Drive when another two deputies came down the road.

As they approached the suspect, he pulled out his gun and shot the woman, deputies say. She died at the scene. When one of the deputies began firing at the suspect, he shot himself in the head.

Kristen Dark, with the sheriff's office, says they do not know if the deputy's shots hit the suspect. "They were out here to protect a bunch of students who were protesting and this situation fell in their laps," she said.

Del Valle ISD says they did not place the high school on lockdown during the nearby shooting incident. Students involved in the walkout and march on SH 71 were loaded on buses and returned to the high school.

The last time a Travis County deputy shot a suspect was in August 2015, when a deputy shot a man inside a convenience store on Wells Branch Parkway after he reached for a gun.

Neighbor reacts to shooting of kidnapping victim in Del Valle

View Gallery / 7 Copyright by KXAN - All rights reserved Bastrop kidnapping ends in deadly shooting along SH 71 in Del Valle