Trooper Shot Multiple Times Is In Critical But Stable Condition

DALTON, NH — A New Hampshire State Police trooper is at Dartmouth Medical Center after being shot multiple times in Dalton on Wednesday.

"At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, a New Hampshire State Police Trooper stopped a vehicle on Bridge Hill Road in Dalton," the attorney general's office said Thursday. "Shortly after the motor vehicle stop, there was an exchange of gunfire between the Trooper and the sole male occupant of the stopped vehicle."

Responding officers found a man, who was the driver of the vehicle, dead at the scene with an apparent gunshot wound. That man was armed with a rifle and a handgun, officials said. The trooper was found alive, with apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to Littleton Hospital and flown to Dartmouth Medical Center in Lebanon.

Based on radio traffic the Trooper had originally called in to report he was stopping a vehicle, and moments later reported "shots fired, I have been hit."

Police from several agencies responded to scene and arrived to the trooper receiving medical care from a resident in the area. He was then transported by a cruiser to the Littleton hospital.

UPDATE:

Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald announces additional information regarding the officer-involved shooting incident that took place on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, in Dalton, New Hampshire. During that incident, a New Hampshire State Police Trooper was wounded by gunfire and an adult male, Mark R. Clermont (age 45) of Whitefield, New Hampshire, was killed.

Earlier today, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg conducted an autopsy on Mr. Clermont, and determined that his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The manner of his death is homicide. As used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.

The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain actively under investigation.

The Trooper remains hospitalized where he is being treated for gunshot wounds and is in critical, but stable condition.

No further information will be released until after the involved Trooper’s formal interview is completed.

No other law enforcement officers or private citizens were physically injured during the incident.

Authorities said, "There is no threat to the public. Pursuant to protocol, the name of the Trooper involved in the incident is being withheld pending the conclusion of a formal interview."

New Hampshire Patch will update this article as additional information becomes available.