HAMPSTEAD — A suspect in a stolen vehicle was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound early Sunday morning after leading police on a chase that ended when the vehicle crashed off Route 111.
The incident began at approximately 12:40 a.m. Sept. 28 when Plaistow police issued a be-on-the-lookout alert for a stolen vehicle.
At approximately 12:48 a.m., Kingston police spotted the vehicle on Route 125 in Kingston and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled.
Plaistow police provided an update that the suspect was suicidal and armed with a firearm.
Minutes later, a Sandown officer spotted the stolen vehicle in Hampstead and initiated a pursuit.
The chase proceeded westbound on Route 111 toward Atkinson before the suspect vehicle drove off the road, over a small embankment and came to a stop in an area with dense brush and trees across from Hampstead Commons Plaza.
Officers from Hampstead and surrounding towns established a perimeter, resulting in the closure of Route 111 from Marilyn Park Drive to Stage Road.
Multiple attempts to get the armed suspect to exit the vehicle resulted in no response.
The Raymond Police Department’s drone unit responded to the scene, and the drone operator observed the suspect still in the vehicle appearing non-responsive.
The suspect was later confirmed to be deceased.
A preliminary investigation indicates the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The suspect’s identity is being withheld out of respect for the family.
