A suspected shoplifter stabbed himself while fleeing a New Orleans Walmart and died of his wounds, city police said. The New Orleans Independent Police Monitor is looking into the incident.

The alleged shoplifting and the suspect’s flight from cops took place on Thursday, NOIPM said in a social media post. The suspect, whom NOIPM did not name, died of purportedly self-inflicted stab wounds.

The New Orleans Police Department said responding officers tried using a taser to stop the suspect but that it wasn’t enough to stop him from stabbing himself in the neck, reported New Orleans’ WDSU.

The man’s death at the hospital is classified as a suicide but is also being investigated as an “in-custody death,” according to the TV station.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.