Accused Cop Shooter Turned Gun on Himself: Police Source

Police officer and suspect both in critical condition

Michael Carmody, 23, the accused shooter of Paramus police officer Rachel Morgan Sunday night, apparently turned his 9mm pistol on himself and shot himself in the head in the middle of a shootout with Morgan and another police officer according to a police souce.

At the same time, the Record of Hacksensack is reporting that Carmody's father, Steven Carmody, told the paper that his son has permanent brain damage from the self inflicted wound, and quoted him as saying "I don't know  what happened, but something snapped."

Carmody is in critical condition at St. Joseph's hospital in Paterson, while Officer Morgan, 31, is also in critical, but stable condition at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack.

The four year police veteran was shot twice in the side, through a gap in her bullet proof vest, according to Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera.

"From when she first arrived at the hospital it's been nothing but encouraging news," Mayor LaBarbiera told NBC New York, adding "She's been councious."

Carmody has been charged by the Bergen County Prosecutor with two counts of attempted murder, since he allegedly fired shots at both Officer Morgan and her backup, Paramus police officer Ryan Hayo.

While Hayo, and possibly Morgan may have hit Carmody with shots from their service revolvers, the single shot that Carmody allegedly fired into his head may have been the most serious shot.

One neighbor on Carmody's dead end street in Westwood described him as distant.

"He's had a troubled life and what I head about all this didn't surprise me so much," said Michael Machorek.

Carmody's MySpace page describes his despair on losing his mother at age 18, his battle with weight issues(once weighing as much as 300 pounds), and how he had legal troubles dating back to age 15.

It is also filled with pictures of him heavily tatooed, and talking about the loss of a friend in a car accident where Carmody was a passenger.

But he claimed he was turning his life around and going back to school while living with his father.

In addition to the two attempted murder counts, Carmody also faces two gun related charges and a fifth count of fleeing a police officer.

Follow Brian Thompson on Twitter @brian4NY

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