A Pennsylvania State Trooper died after being shot in West Caln Township in Chester County on Sunday night.

Corporal Timothy O’Connor was shot and killed after stopping an erratic driver, officials said during a news conference early Monday morning.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said O’Connor was responding to a call about an erratic driver around 8:15 p.m. Sunday. About 10 minutes later, Bivens said, O’Connor stopped the driver near Compass and Michael roads in West Caln Township.

As O’Connor approached the driver’s side of the car, the man inside the vehicle fatally shot him, Bivens said.

Police said the gunman exited the vehicle, walked a short distance and fatally shot himself with a semi-automatic pistol. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The gunman was identified as Jesse Nathan Elks, 32, of Honey Brook, Chester County.

O’Connor was taken to Paoli Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

He leaves behind a wife and young daughter, Bivens said. O’Connor enlisted in the state police in 2010.

“Tonight we lost a dear member of our family, a hero,” Bivens said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he spoke with O’Connor’s family after the shooting.

“There are a lot of questions, many of which will remain unanswered,” Shapiro said. “But the only thing we know for sure is that her son, her husband, is a hero. He died protecting others, and that is a noble calling. It’s something we are deeply grateful for.”

The Chester County Prosecutor’s Office and Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the fatal shooting.

“Our community is devastated,” de Barrena-Sarobe said. “We mourn the loss of Corporal O’Connor and extend our deepest condolences to his family. And unfortunately, we just don’t have many answers as to why this happened.”

Shapiro has ordered that all Commonwealth flags be flown at half-mast in honor of O’Connor.