Shooter Gets 10 To 20 Years In Prison, Connected To 2022 Incidents In Manchester, Goffstown: Follow-Up

MANCHESTER, NH — A man from Manchester, who was found guilty on several charges earlier this year, was sent to prison Tuesday for 10 to 20 years, the maximum sentence allowed.

Christopher Lacerte, 22, was found guilty by a jury earlier this year on first-degree assault with a firearm and two reckless conduct charges after he shot a man during a domestic incident in Goffstown in February 2022. He received a 10-to-20-year sentence on the first-degree assault charge and two suspended three-and-a-half-to-seven-year sentences on the reckless conduct charges. Lacerte will also be under supervision for a decade when he is released from prison.

On Feb. 7, 2022, Lacerte threatened his ex-girlfriend with a gun while his current girlfriend attacked her at her Manchester home. The ex then fled to Goffstown for safety.

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Later, though, the woman agreed to meet with Lacerte. She gave him the address where she was, and he showed up at the home armed with a gun. When the woman refused to speak with Lacerte, the homeowner went out to his car and told him to leave. When Lacerte refused, the homeowner punched him through the car window. As his ex approached the car, Lacerte fired the gun twice, hitting the homeowner once. A second bullet missed but was found later in the year, after the spring thaw.

John Coughlin, the Hillsborough County Attorney, said the homeowner “miraculously survived,” but bullet fragments remain in his spine. The ex was not harmed during the incident but continues to suffer from the trauma of the shooting, he said. Lacerte attempted to claim self-defense, but the work from Goffstown police thwarted that effort, Coughlin said.

Coughlin said prosecutors, the victims, and their families commend the Goffstown Police Department for its swift response and diligent investigative work, which brought about justice.

“The case serves as a reminder of the serious potential consequences of domestic violence and gun violence in our communities,” he said. “The maximum sentence reflects the severity of Lacerte's actions and the lasting impact on the victims.”

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