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Two Cops Shot In New Hampshire, Manhunt On For Suspect [Update]

By Loretta Polaski
Published on: 00:12 PST, May 13, 2016

Friday morning, two cops were shot on the west side of Manchester, New Hampshire. There is a search for the armed suspect.

Police Chief Nick Willard said at about 2 a.m., officers approached the suspect because he fit the description of a man suspected in a robbery the night before. The officers, clearly uniformed, approached the suspect. The man opened fire on the officers, injuring one of them. Cops chased the man through a residential area, where he shot another officer in the calf. The suspect escaped. Witnesses said they heard dozens of gunshots, reports the New Hampshire Union Leader.

A manhunt is currently underway. The suspect is a white male with long hair and was wearing a trench coat. Some schools have been closed for the day, and several streets have been closed as well as police continue the search for the armed man.

SWAT teams and heavily armed officers are searching area homes and cars. Residents have been instructed to shelter in place.

According to CBS News, the two cops are stable and are being treated at local hospitals. Their names have been withheld.

More information to come.

[Update]

The shooter has been arrested, according to ABC News. Ian MacPherson, 32, was the man who allegedly shot two Manchester police officers. One was shot in the face, another in the leg.

Officer Ryan Hardy, 27, was shot first at about 2 a.m. this morning. Officer Matthew O’Connor, 28, was shot about twenty minutes later.

Hardy received multiple gunshot wounds to the face and torso and remains in the hospital. He is reported to be in stable condition. Hardy was able to call a description of the suspect on his radio.

O’Connor exchanged gunfire with MacPherson next as MacPherson shouted, “I am your man!” O’Connor was treated at a hospital and released.

Jess McGratty, one of the residents near the second shooting, said, “We heard six gunshots at about 2:30 this morning. It sounded like fireworks. Before we realized it was gunshots, we went to the window, we heard people running, and heard two men talking.”

Another witness, Joanne Daigle, was sleeping just steps away from where the second shooting took place.

“I heard three consecutive shots, I thought it was a car backfiring at first,” she said. “I heard muffled voices and then I heard someone running right outside my bedroom window. I thought about going to the window, but I just put my head under the covers.”

Ian MacPherson has been charged with two counts of attempted capital murder. MacPherson could face life in prison. He was not injured.

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan who was able to speak with both officers today said she is grateful they will recover.

“My thoughts are with them and their families, and I join all Granite Staters in wishing them a speedy and full recovery,”

Hassan released a statement today to say she was “thankful for the bravery and service” of the two Manchester officers shot this morning. She said they “courageously put their lives on the lines… as all of our public safety officers do every day, to protect their fellow citizens and to keep our communities and our state safe.”

Hassan said she has spoken with both officers and that she’s “grateful that they are expected to recover.”

Police chief Willard said, “These officers acted courageously. Last night I saw member of the Manchester police, state police and other local law enforcement agencies come together to do an incredibly courageous thing… I cannot express deeply enough my profound respect for the officers of the Manchester police department.”

[Photo by Jim Cole/AP]

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