Chokoloskee man identified as suspect who was killed after cops say he shot at pipeline

The suspect accused of firing at the Sabal Trail Pipeline early Sunday and was killed after a chase and shootout with law enforcement has been identified, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

James Leroy Marker, 66, of Chokoloskee, was identified by FHP Monday afternoon as the suspect in the incident.

It all started around 9 a.m., when reports came in to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that a suspect was using a high-power rifle to shoot at the Sabal Trail pipeline, a three-state, 515-mile natural gas pipe project that has brought protestors who say the pipeline is dangerous for waterways, in the 12500 block of State Road 200.

The suspect, later identifed as Marker, fled the scene in a 2016 Chevrolet pickup truck, also leading Citrus County deputies and FHP troopers on a chase into Citrus County.

After a trooper spotted the truck and stopped it, Marker was armed and engaged the officers, but did not fire upon them as earlier reports had indicated. Marker was shot and fatally injured.

The incident continues to be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast told reporters, “We know that the suspect was armed and extremely dangerous, and pending the examination of the evidence at the scene, we will be able to determine what other weapons he had in his possession at the time of the shooting.”

The stretch of U.S. 41 was reopened late Sunday.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 7:55 AM with the headline "Chokoloskee man identified as suspect who was killed after cops say he shot at pipeline."