UPDATE 8/24 3 p.m. – New Hampshire's chief medical examiner determined Thursday that Heath died from multiple gunshot wounds in a shootout with troopers and local police.
The attorney general's office says the exact circumstances surrounding the incident remain actively under investigation in conjunction with New Hampshire State Police.
ROCHESTER, N.H. (NEWS CENTER Maine) — The man who was shot and killed by police in New Hampshire Monday was wanted for leading officers on a chase that started in Maine.
Douglas Heath, 38, had several warrants out for his arrest when he was shot and killed in a shootout with local and state police on Aug. 20, New Hampshire's attorney general's office said.
Police tried to pull Heath over in Sanford on June 11, because he was wanted on a drug charge but that turned into a chase along Route 202 from Sanford to Lebanon. The chase only lasted a couple of miles because police were worried about public safety. Heath's car was later found at his home in Lebanon but police believe he fled on foot and was picked up by someone.
The officer-involved shooting that happened around 3:15 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Oak Street and Route 125 in the Rochester village of Gonic.
The AG's office said Douglas Heath, 38, being pursued by police, crashed his vehicle then exited the passenger side and exchanged gunfire with police. He was struck by gunfire and died at the scene.
Police said Heath had been wanted on several warrants, including one for trafficking narcotics and one for feeling from Maine State Police. Rochester police said they had issued an "Officer Safety Briefing Form" on Aug. 15 indicating there was "credible information" Heath was staying in Rochester and that he "may be in possession of '3 firearms'" and had "no intention of going to jail."
The AG's office said a gun was found near Heath's body.
An autopsy is scheduled for Aug. 23.
No officers or nearby people were physically hurt during the incident, police said. The two Rochester officers and two state troopers who were on scene were taken to a hospital, evaluated and released.