Pennsylvania State Police are trying to piece together the puzzling death of a motorcyclist from Export, Westmoreland County.
"I've never seen an accident like this," Chief Deputy Coroner Paul Cycak told Channel 4 Action News reporter Jennifer Miele.
Cycak said state troopers saw a dead deer on Route 819 in Salem Township, and a wrecked bike with 47-year-old William Mark Amos underneath it, and they thought the man died from injuries he suffered in a crash Friday morning.
Amos, who was not wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene about 100 yards south of Ridge Road.
But when they lifted the 1982 Harley Davidson off Amos' body, they found a gun belonging to Amos -- and then discovered a bullet wound in the back of his head.
"There was a fracture to the rear of his head, and the gun laying on the ground. We decided to collect other evidence and send him for autopsy," Cycak said.
Cycak said the leg injuries that were caused by the bike crash would have been painful but not fatal, so police and the coroner are still trying to figure out how Amos ended up dead.
While a self-inflicted wound is possible, the coroner said it isn't common for such a gunshot to happen in the rear of the head.
State police will try to learn where Amos was before the crash happened, and they will examine his driving gloves for the presence of any gunshot residue. Blood work has also been sent for analysis.