The suspected gunman in the deadly Southeast Texas shooting Wednesday that sparked an intense manhunt through a heavily wooded region north of Houston was found dead from a self-inflicted wound.

The Texas Department of Public Safety announced the discovery of the man's body around 3 p.m. That was seven hours after reports that a woman in Liberty County was shot and killed and a sheriff's deputy and two men were injured by gunfire.

The suspect, identified as 65-year-old Pavol Vido, was tracked by a Texas prison system bloodhound and was found hiding under a boat, said Jeremy Desel, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The gunman took his own life as authorities moved in, Desel said.

Deputy Richard Whitten was taken by helicopter to a Houston hospital about 50 miles south after being shot at a veterinary clinic. Whitten, a four-year deputy, was shot in the neck, but his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

"He is in stable condition now, and that's great," said Sgt. Erik Burse, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. "He's going to make it."

Burse said he didn't know how long the recovery process would be.

The incident began around 8 a.m. when Whitten responded to a report of a shooting at a plumbing business in Liberty County. The gunman fled in a white 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis and was confronted by the deputy near a veterinary clinic a few miles away when the deputy confronted the gunman and the two exchanged fire, authorities said.

That prompted a manhunt involving local law enforcement, the Texas Rangers, DPS troopers, police helicopters and tracking dogs from the Texas prison system.

At a late morning news briefing, authorities said there was a break in the case, but not a resolution. They identified Vido and said he was still at-large.

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Less than four hours later, they found Vido.

Desel said the bloodhound, named Raider and assigned to TDCJ's Wynne Unit in Huntsville, was taken by prison system handlers to where the Vido's car was abandoned. After combing the car for a scent, Desel said, the hunt was on.

"About 10 minutes and 50 yards later, the suspect was found hiding under a boat that was overturned on its trailer," Desel told the USA Today Network. "The three-person handling team drew their weapons, as did law enforcement officers who were following.

"As they approached, the suspect shot himself."

Before he was found, residents in the area were cautioned not to confront, or even approach, anyone who might resemble Vido, saying authorities considered him "armed and dangerous."

Authorities said the woman, whose name was not released, was shot at the plumbing business and the two men, also not identified, were shot later.

Vido reportedly drove to a veterinary clinic a few miles away where he encountered Whitten. Liberty County Sheriff's Capt. Ken DeFoor described the shooting at the clinic.

“One of our deputies jumped the vehicle as it was leaving the scene,” DeFoor said in a report carried by KHOU TV in Houston. “The suspect jumped out of his car, started shooting at the deputy, the deputy returned fire. The deputy was shot one time in the throat.

“Like all other mass shootings, it’s regrettable, it’s something you see no logic in and there’s no justifiable reason for something like this," he added.

Campuses in the Cleveland, Texas, school district nearby were placed on "lock-in," meaning no one is permitted to enter or leave campus, district spokeswoman Susan Ard said.

"Any, and all ceremonies including awards on all campuses will be rescheduled at a later date."

The lock-in was lifted once the school district was notified that the suspected gunman was dead, Ard said.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.