Bank Robbery Suspect Fatally Shot By Police, Police K-9 Stabbed

MANCHESTER, NH — A Manchester man is dead after police fatally shot him during an incident that started with an attempt to arrest him for several crimes that occurred this week.

During Friday’s incident, the suspect stabbed Manchester Police K-9 “Duke,” who was rushed from the scene to a veterinarian for medical attention.

Manchester police were on the lookout for Jake Chiaradonna, 34, who was wanted for a robbery on Thursday, according to the NH Attorney General’s Office.

Officers responded to the area of Pine and Plummer streets at about 9:30 a.m. and observed a suspicious male. Officers pursued the man and located him hiding inside a stolen vehicle.

The individual, confirmed as Chiaradonna, refused commands to exit the vehicle. Manchester Police SWAT surrounded the vehicle with bearcats and, over the loudspeaker, repeatedly asked for Chiaradonna to come out with his hands up. Chiaradonna was told if he did not exit the vehicle, he could be subjected to “K-9 apprehension or the use of chemicals”.

SWAT officers could be seen preparing chemical agents to be deployed and had requested Manchester firefighters to be dispatched for standby, which is protocol. Minutes after being requested to, Chiaradonna opened the vehicle door but refused to be placed in custody.

During this refusal, Manchester officers utilized less-lethal force, which was unsuccessful at subduing Chiaradonna. The suspect then attempted to run from the scene as police fired less-than-lethal weapons and ran to the north side of the building. At that time, the suspect stabbed K-9 Duke with a screwdriver and attempted to attack officers.

In this confrontation, one officer used deadly force and fired on the suspect, who was struck by this gunfire, reportedly striking Chiaradonna in the chest and hip. AMR ambulance, which was standing by, was summoned to the scene, and the suspect was transported to the Elliot Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Duke’s K-9 handler could be seen running with the Duke to his cruiser; both the officer and K-9 were driven to a local veterinarian by a Manchester police captain. Duke was treated for his injury, released later in the day, and is recovering at home, according to a post on the Manchester Association of Police Canines.

Several law enforcement sources indicate that Chiaradonna was the person of interest in a bank robbery at TD Bank on Woodbury Ave in Newington.

On the Newington Police social media page, they described the suspect as a white male, about 5’11” tall, clad in dark clothing and a partial mask. During the robbery, the suspect brandished a knife to threaten the staff and successfully stole $1,000 from the teller’s drawer. The suspect in the robbery was last seen driving away in a grey-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The vehicle the suspect was inside on Friday was reported stolen and was a tan-colored vehicle, possibly a small Ford sedan.

The investigation by the New Hampshire Department of Justice and the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit into the officer-involved shooting of Chiaradonna is ongoing, and the identity of the officer using deadly force will not be disclosed until a formal interview takes place, which is expected to occur sometime next week.

UPDATE: An autopsy on Jake Chiaradonna, age 35, was completed Monday by NH Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Mithcell Weinberg.

Dr. Weinberg determined that Mr. Chiaradonna’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner of death was homicide.

As used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting of Mr. Chiaradonna is ongoing, and the identity of the officer using deadly-force will not be disclosed until a formal interview takes place in the coming days. Further information will be provided at that time.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news