Law enforcement officers shot and killed a 54-year-old man Wednesday after he pointed a gun at them during a standoff at his Ester home, Alaska State Troopers said.
Matthew Heller threatened his neighbor with a gun in her home Tuesday for unknown reasons, troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said in an email. She was able to get out of the house and escape in a vehicle, McDaniel said.
Troopers were called after she escaped and responded immediately, McDaniel said. Heller had barricaded himself inside his home alone and was heavily armed, troopers said in an online report. The troopers left the area and sought an arrest warrant on two charges of third-degree felony assault and one misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing, according to an online court database.
The warrant was issued Wednesday, and the Northern Special Emergency Reaction Team went to Heller’s home to arrest him, troopers said. The team includes law enforcement officers from several agencies, including statewide departments such as Alaska State Troopers as well as local forces, like Fairbanks police.
The team arrived just before 6:45 p.m. and found Heller had barricaded entrances to his home with sandbags, McDaniel said. Troopers tried negotiating with Heller, but he refused to leave the home and pointed a firearm at officers around 10 p.m., according to troopers.
“Multiple law enforcement officers fired at Heller due to his actions, striking him,” troopers wrote.
Heller died at the scene “despite lifesaving efforts,” troopers said, and his body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
McDaniel did not say how many officers fired at Heller or which agencies they belonged to. Their names will be publicly released three days after the shooting, per the Alaska Department of Public Safety’s policy. The officers were also placed on leave for 72 hours following the shooting, in accordance with policy.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting, troopers said. That investigation will then be independently reviewed by the Office of Special Prosecutions.