A 59-year-old man was taken to the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries after shooting himself during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Tualatin, said state police.

The man, whose identity has not been released, was pulled over in a 1982 GMC van southbound at about 5:16 p.m. Tuesday between Southwest Nyberg Road and Sagert Street for a vehicle license violation.

It was discovered after the stop that the driver had a suspended driver's license.

The state trooper then went back to the patrol car to prepare a citation and call a tow truck to impound the van.

When the tow truck arrived a little before 6 p.m., the trooper found the man had a gunshot wound to the neck and saw a handgun in the front passenger's seat, said state police.

The man was taken to OHSU Hospital and no one else was reported hurt.



All the southbound lanes were initially shut down during the investigation, but as of 8 p.m. the lanes were reopened.

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