GONZALES - A man shot himself in the head in front of a police officer after he apparently flipped his car on an Ascension Parish highway Wednesday night.

The incident happened around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday near LA 30 and I-10 after the Gonzales Police Department says it received multiple 911 calls about a reckless driver in a white Corvette. The suspect was later identified as Joseph White Jr..

One call came from White's wife, whom he was legally separated from, reporting that she was in the vehicle and that he was pistol-whipping her.

An officer eventually found what appeared to be the same vehicle flipped over on Ashland Road, just off LA 30. White got out of the vehicle as the officer approached the crash and body camera video released by law enforcement shows what happened right before the gunfire started. 

In that video, a bloodied White is seen walking toward the officer with a hand behind his back. White then pulls out a gun and puts it to his head.

Warning: The video does not show the weapon being fired, but some may find it disturbing.

In a Thursday evening press conference, Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said White shot himself in the head during the confrontation. The police officer fired three shots in response, one of which struck White in the leg.

The officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave pending further investigation.