Cop Shoots Fellow Officer Then Takes Own Life, Police Say

Feb 25, 2012— -- A Massachusetts police officer suspected in the shooting of a fellow officer was found dead in what appeared to be a suicide, police said Friday night.

Investigators said an off-duty sergeant from a nearby town, Hamilton, was the suspect in shooting Beverly Police Officer Jason Lantych outside a Starbucks coffee shop at a strip mall.

The suspected gunman was identified as Sgt. Kenneth Nagy, who allegedly fled the scene in a black SUV.

Witnesses told police they heard multiple gunshots right before Lantych stumbled into the Starbucks just before 6 p.m, bleeding from a wound in his groin area. Patrons immediately came to his aid.

"He was shot in the groin area," one man told ABC News affiliate WCVB. "We elevated his leg and applied pressure and I told my buddy to apply pressure, we got the bleeding to slow down a little bit."

Lantych was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery Friday night. Police told WCVB he was listed in critical condition.

Meanwhile investigators identified Nagy as the prime suspect in the shooting. A warrant for his arrest was issued and a statewide manhunt was launched.

Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett warned the public during a press conference Friday night that Nagy was armed and dangerous.

"We believe he shot him and we want the public's assistance. Give us information if they see him, but do not approach him," Blodgett said.

Nagy had been at large for a few hours after the initial shooting, but reports indicate that about 15 minutes after the plea from the district attorney, the search was over.

Nagy pulled into a parking lot on the opposite side of the building from where the mayhem began.

Blodgett told WCVB that state troopers and Beverly police officers cordoned off the area. Investigators did not immediately see Nagy leaned back in the driver's seat. They searched the parking lots and the railroad tracks before approaching the vehicle.

As officers made their move towards Nagy's SUV, he fatally shot himself.

Investigators have not said if a motive for the shooting has been established, but Blodgett told WCVB that the two officers knew each other.

A report from the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle indicates that Nagy had been promoted to the rank of sergeant last July.

A picture shows his wife, Katie, placing an honorary pin on her husband. Other photos show the couple smiling with their two young children, Gavin and Griffin.

The Massachusetts State Police told ABC News that they will not make any further comments on the case and that it's being handled by the Essex County District Attorney's Office.

ABC News attempted to reach the DA's office but has not received any response.