Why were police chasing Marshawn Kneeland — and what drove the Cowboys DE to pull the trigger in his self-inflicted death

Trigger Warning: This story contains references to suicide.The Texas Department of Public Safety said Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was found dead early Thursday morning in Frisco, Texas, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after crashing his car following a police chase. The chase began at 10:33PM. local time on Wednesday when officers attempted to stop Kneeland’s car, but he failed to pull over. DPS troopers followed him until they lost sight of the vehicle. The car was later found abandoned after a crash in the southbound lanes of the Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. The Frisco Police Department said Kneeland fled the scene on foot. According to The Athletic, police conducted a welfare check at Kneeland’s address around 11:40PM, but the officers did not find anybody at the residence.The Athletic reviewed a Frisco police dispatch recording from 11:30PM where an officer said police were talking to Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina. The officer said, “We’re talking to the girlfriend. She’s trying to call his agent. But we’re trying to get her to call him first. But she’s saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness. And her quote was—He will end it all.” Catalina then tried to call Kneeland’s agent, Jonathan Perzley, while other officers worked with Verizon to locate his phone. Around 11:45PM, Kneeland sent a “goodbye” message to a group chat. A dispatcher told officers that people who knew him received a group text from Kneeland “saying goodbye. They’re concerned for his welfare.”After confirming with Catalina, officers tried to contact Kneeland directly using the number that sent the message. About 30 minutes later, a dispatcher told police that family members were receiving Kneeland’s “goodbye” message. It is unclear whether the message was received in the same group chat or in separate messages. The dispatcher also told police that the NFL had contacted Plano police about Kneeland. Officers searched for him with K-9 and drone units, narrowing the search to less than half a mile west of the Dallas Parkway. Around 1:20AM, a drone confirmed blood coming from a portable toilet by the complex. An officer stated that thermal imaging revealed someone curled up on the floor. Police ended the search about three hours after the crash, at 1:31AM, after they found Kneeland dead inside the portable toilet.On November 8, The Athletic reported that before dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Marshawn Kneeland crashed the car he was driving into a pickup truck after a police chase. The crash occured after police began pursuing Kneeland on Wednesday night and attempted to get him to stop the vehicle. The pursuit was for a traffic violation, but it was unclear what type of violation he was thought to have committed.Marshawn Kneeland had lost his mother last year. A few months back, talking to The Dallas Morning News, Kneeland shared, “It was definitely tough. I just managed it. I had to try to breathe and let all of it out as much as possible with the situation. She helped me a lot in my younger years getting into football. I always had the dream. I always told her—I’m going to the NFL. I put myself in the best position and she helped me out a lot just leading up to the draft. She was right there with me. She’s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she’s there watching over me.” The defensive lineman lost his mother, Wendy, 45, to an accidental drug overdose in February last year at her home in Buckeye, Arizona. According to Daily Mail, medical examiner found oxycodone and morphine in her system, alongside anticonvulsant gabapentin, antidepressant duloxetine and muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine. Further details on why his mother had so many drugs in her system have not emerged. Marshawn was very close to his mother and wore some of her ashes in a necklace after her death. At her funeral service, Kneeland said, "It's definitely tough, you just never expect something like this. She would always help me with just life in general. She was basically there for me for everything. If I could go back in time I would have definitely found a way for me to go see her, or her to come see me. It tore me apart, I can still feel her just training. I feel feel her presence there with me and I still do. I know she's still watching over me. I try to be strong as much as I can."During an interview on 105.3 The Fan, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed about Marshawn Kneeland. "How did this happen?" Jones said. "How in the world does this happen? My feeling is that everybody is just a little dumbfounded, much less the sorrow that's involved here for everybody involved inside the Cowboys.""We are devastated by this tremendous loss and are still processing the depth of our grief," Kneeland's family said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News on November 6. "As Marshawn was making his mark on the football field with the Dallas Cowboys, he held an even more special place off the field--as a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend. He was kind, determined, humble, and full of life. His light shone brightly in every life he touched, and his spirit will continue to live on through the countless hearts he inspired."On November 26, Alex Andrejev of The Athletic reported that a DPS trooper saw Kneeland driving over 145 mph before crashing into a truck. The trooper started following Kneeland at about 10:33 PM on November 5 after seeing him drive at a high speed. According to the trooper, Kneeland made several unsafe lane changes in a Dodge Charger on the Dallas North Tollway and reached speeds higher than 145 miles per hour.More coverage on Dallas Cowboys:“Triggering day for many reasons”: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pays a humble tribute to defensive end Marshawn Kneeland“Paid Liar”: Micah Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta faces fans’ fury after talking to the host of ESPN’s First Take Stephen A. Smith‘Create some championships or shut up’: Fans slam Cowboys owner Jerry Jones over 30-year hiatus