A Washington man who drove a truck into the front of his ex-wife's home and shot her in the hand before speeding off, is thought by police to have then shot himself to death on a roadside 50 miles away.

The violent string of events began when Dion E. Fisher arrived at the Kent home where his ex-wife and three of their four children, ages 10 to 18, lived at around 3.30am on Thursday and rammed his vehicle straight through the front window. 

Two of the three fled the property while one hid and dialled for help as their father strode through the house firing shots with a handgun looking for his ex-wife. 

As the wounded mother recovered in hospital on Friday and the presumed body of Mr Fisher was found near his vehicle in Index, a picture emerged of a troubled man who had threatened his family before.