New Hampshire

New details released about fatal police shooting in Franklin, NH

That incident prompted a shelter-in-place order for residents overnight

A man was shot and killed by police during a confrontation early Monday morning in Franklin, New Hampshire, according to authorities.

The incident started shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday when Franklin police responded to a 911 call from an apartment building on West Bow Street, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.

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The 911 caller said she wasn't physically harmed, but was inside her apartment when her adult male neighbor from across the hall tried to smash through her front door.

Officers responding to the scene saw that the woman's door had been shot at with a firearm, the attorney general's office said. Police evacuated the woman from the building and tried to make contact with her neighbor. Officers said they heard gunshots coming from inside his apartment, and an armed standoff ensued, during which members of the state police SWAT Unit responded to assist.

The disturbance trigged a shelter-in-place order around 2:45 a.m. for residents in the area of Central and West Bow streets, the attorney general's office said. That order has since been lifted.

Initial reports indicate that officers saw black smoke coming from the windows and eaves of the buliding around 2:30 a.m., and about 30 minutes later, they could see fire inside the building when the male neighbor exchanged multiple gunshots with troopers, the attorney general's office said. The man ultimately stopped firing and was found just outside the residence near a rear first floor window, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

Life-saving measures were eventually attempted, but the severity of the fire prevented police from immediately being able to provide first aid and he died at the scene. An autopsy is expected to be conducted by the chief medical examiner's office on Tuesday.

The man's identity is being withheld pending notification of family members.

No police were injured in the exchange, and the attorney general's office said there is no further threat to the public.

The building sustained extensive damage from the fire. The origin and cause of the fire remains under investigation by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office. The attorney general's office said there are no indications that the fire was caused by any of the police action.

Two members of the state police SWAT Unit discharged their firearms during the incident. Their names are being withheld pending the conclusion of formal interviews.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and further information will be releases as it becomes available.

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