The town of Franconia is reeling from a tragic shooting last Friday that claimed the life of two local residents.
One of them was a police officer asnd local prosecutor.
The other was a local resident and member of a well known family.
NHPR correspondent Todd Wellington has the story.
The Franconia town hall was a busy place to be on Monday.
Inside, town officials met with state and local police to plan the memorial service for Corporal Bruce McKay.
McKay was killed in the line of duty Friday night.
Outside town hall were an armada of satellite trucks, reporters and TV cameras.
In between there was the occasional press conference - including one by State Police Lieutenant John Skarinza.
Skarinza is helping to plan the memorial service for McKay.
He made it clear the town of 1004 residents was about to get even busier.
"We anticipate that there could be upwards of three thousand - maybe more - police officers, fire officers, emergency personnel and members of the public who will attend that service..."
Things were also pretty busy out on Route 116.
By noontime, the mailbox belonging to 24 year old Liko Kenney had become a makeshift shrine - decorated with a tie-dyed t-shirt, flowers and notes.
On Friday evening investigators say Corporal McKay stopped Kenney for speeding.
But the two men shared a history dating back at least four years when Kenney was convicted of assaulting McKay.
But on Friday, the traffic stop got out of hand.
Police say McKay pepper sprayed Kenney.
Kenney then shot McKay four times and ran over the officer with his car.
A passerby who says he witnessed the whole thing, then shot Kenney with the downed officer's handgun.
The incident took place just a few hundred yards down the road from Kenney's driveway.
Easton resident Joe Cimino says many in the community want to know more about how the situation became so deadly, so quickly.
"The town is kind of divided on what happened. Somehow we need to learn from what happened here, to be able to move on in life and no one's really sure how to cope with it yet because it's such unusual circumstances."
Back at the town hall, a subdued Franconia police chief Mark Montminy described Corporal McKay as an outstanding officer.
"He was a dedicated professional and, like I said, one of the best prosecutors and police officers that I've had the pleasure to know."
Town officials are preparing for a funeral with all the respect due a police officer who dies in the line of duty.
A memorial service is planned for Wednesday and a funeral Thursday.
McKay had planned to be married on Cannon Mountain.
His funeral will take place there instead.
But when the bunting is put away, and all the state and local officials have gone home, residents of this small town will be left wondering why everything had to go wrong on that quiet stretch of Route 116.
For NHPR News, this is Todd Wellington.
