A Brookline man shot and killed after a police chase on the North Side was carrying drugs inside his colostomy bag, police said.

Brandon L. Allen, 29, died of a "gunshot wound to the trunk" according to the Allegheny County medical examiner's office. Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper said it appears seven shots were fired at Mr. Allen after a police chase ended with him attempting to back his car over a city patrolman.

"He's known to law enforcement before," said Chief Harper during a press briefing yesterday at police headquarters on the North Side. The drugs, suspected of being heroin, were found in two bundles inside the bag Mr. Allen wore to collect body waste after an operation that removed portions of his digestive tract.

"Being that it's two bundles, basically he's going to distribute the drugs," Chief Harper said. "It's not that he was carrying those bundles for his own needs."

Mr. Allen's family last night issued a brief statement: "Our family is overwhelmed with grief over the death of Brandon. We have come together to lean on each other and our faith in God to get through this difficult time. We ask that our family be afforded privacy to begin the healing process."

Police gave this account of the incident. Shortly after 9 p.m. a patrol car noticed a 1996 Mitsubishi on Federal Street and North Avenue without headlights on. After the driver apparently ignored the patrol car's flashing headlights -- an attempt to signal the driver to turn on his lights -- a chase ensued.

The driver turned onto several side streets, ran a red light on Perrysville Avenue, and nearly collided with another police car that then joined the chase. Chief Harper said the driver turned down a dead-end section of Bonvue Street behind the closed Chatham Elementary School, where officers attempted to order him from the car.

"As officers began to approach, the driver put the car into reverse and attempted to strike one of the officers. As the officer attempted to get out of the way, the second officer began discharging his weapon at the vehicle," Chief Harper said.

After approaching the car, the police officers discovered Mr. Allen had been struck by gunfire. He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 10 p.m. Seven shell casings were recovered from the scene, police said. Mr. Allen, they added, was not armed.

Chief Harper estimated the pursuit speed at 45 mph and said the chase took a total of four minutes. Only one officer fired, according to Chief Harper, who described him as a 13-year veteran of the force. The other officer has been on the force two years.

Filings at the Allegheny County Clerk of Courts office indicate that a man matching Mr. Allen's name and birth year was previously arrested on several occasions on charges that included possession of illegal drugs and fleeing police and resisting arrest.