Identities released in murder, chase

EDGEWOOD – Officials have released identities in a high-speed chase that began in Edgewood and ended in Forney. Police say the driver, Braylon Diamente Hicks of Forney, is a suspect in an Edgewood murder on Friday. The victim is named as Alyssa Beth Flores of Wills Point. According to our news partner KETK, Wills Point PD and a Van Zandt County DA investigator observed a dispatched call from the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office regarding a shooting and kidnapping that had just occurred in Edgewood, and the suspect was heading towards Highway 80. The pursuit continued south on FM 2965 to I-20, where the suspect then reportedly began traveling westbound at speeds over 120 mph. Authorities say the chase continued at high rates of speed, passing vehicles on the shoulders and weaving in and out of traffic through Kaufman County.

The suspect reportedly continued into Forney and came to a stop just west of the Gateway Bridge. Officials say as soon as the suspect opened the driver door, it was apparent he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Officers say they immediately began rendering aid to the suspect, who was later transported to a Dallas-area hospital and is expected to survive his injury. While officers rendered aid to the suspect, other officers located an infant in the front passenger seat, unharmed. The baby was transported to a Dallas-area hospital. Bond for Hicks has been set at $1 million.