Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office identifies man shot by deputy after high-speed chase

DONA ANA COUNTY, N.M. (KVIA) — Dona Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart has identified Michael Christopher Goodheart, 26, as the man who opened fire on a deputy following a police erratic high-speed pursuit that ended in a shootout early Thursday morning. .

“He (Goodheart) was driving without his headlights,” Stewart said. “And he was in oncoming traffic for different periods of time. And then, as we noted, on Shalem (Colony Trail), he was (driving) 70 miles an hour. And if you've been on this road at night, it’s dark and winding.”

During a news conference at the sheriff's office headquarters in Las Cruces Friday, video was played showing the final moments of the chase Goodheart led by a sheriff's deputy, ending just north of Las Cruces. Goodheart turned along the banks of the Rio Grande off the Shalem Colony Trail where he encountered a locked gate. That's when he got out of his white Dodge Durango and opened fire.

Sheriff Stewart says a gunshot hit the deputy's vehicle and the deputy returned fire, but was not injured. During the exchange, Goodheart was injured and received first aid at the scene. He was transported to Mountain View Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Stewart says the chase led law enforcement to speed in and out of the city's outskirts. At various times, Goodheart was on the emergency line, including just before the exchange of gunfire.

“He ends up at the uh, the last known comment to send is 'tell my family I love them,'” Stewart said. “So in Shalem Colony and Val Verde, he’s traveling 70 miles an hour.”