Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate today to support the journalism you rely on!

New Hampshire AG: Trooper shooting of Walpole man justified

New Hampshire Attorney General's office in Concord, N.H.
NHPR
New Hampshire Attorney General's office in Concord, N.H.

The N.H. Attorney General's office said the man's pellet gun was made to look like a real gun.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire attorney general's office says a state trooper's shooting of a Walpole man in December was justified.

The trooper and a Walpole police officer were responding to a call from a woman saying her son was suicidal. Police say they encountered him in the driveway where he pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the officer.

Trooper Zachary Bernier fired 10 shots, hitting the man twice. The man survived and was hospitalized for his wounds.

The attorney general's office says the firearm turned out to be pellet gun but all the safety markings had been removed so it looked like a real handgun.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.