Man Is Fatally Shot By Manchester Police Officer After Armed Struggle

MANCHESTER, NH — An armed man has died after he shot at police during a struggle with officers near the corner of Bridge and Ash Streets Friday, according to the NH Attorney General's Office.

Manchester police approached the man on Bridge Street at about 9:30 a.m. to speak with him. The man informed police he was armed with a gun. The officer instructed him to keep his hands visible. However, the man reached into his pocket for the firearm. A struggle ensued, during which the man fired what was later determined to be a pistol, and the officer returned fire, according to Michael Garrity, spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office. The man was struck by this gunfire and transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday evening in Concord at the Office of the New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. The identity of the man will be released following that autopsy and notification of next of kin. The officer involved in this incident was wearing a body-worn camera, which recorded the event. That footage is currently being preserved and will be reviewed. The officer was not physically injured.

The investigation by the New Hampshire Department of Justice, with the assistance of the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit into this shooting, is ongoing.

The identity of the officer using deadly force will not be disclosed until formal interviews take place; this is expected to take place in the next five to ten business days. The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain actively under investigation.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news