A New Hampshire woman is facing criminal charges and civil rights complaints for shooting a Black man who got lost and ended up in her driveway. The woman, 67-year-old Diane Durgin, shot at the man’s car while he was trying to buy a car part and thought he was at the right address.
The New Hampshire attorney general filed a complaint against Durgin over the incident that took place on October 20, 2024. The man, who remains unnamed, drove into Durgin’s property by mistake and even clarified the same to her.
He also explained to Durgin that he was looking to buy a car part that was previously discussed and he could not find the right address. However, instead of believing or helping him, Durgin reportedly drew a gun and pointed at him. She also allegedly hurled racial slurs at him, calling him a “Black [expletive].”
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Seeing the situation getting tense, the man tried to leave and started to drive away. This is when Durgin fired two shots aiming at his car, leading to it getting off the driveway and landing into a ditch. As the situation turned even more dangerous and hostile for him, the man called 911.
Durgin, on the other hand, had also called 911 and told the dispatcher that the man in question was Black and was perhaps trying to steal from her. As the dispatcher asked her, “Why did you shoot at this person?” Durgin replied, “Because he’s telling me, first of all, he’s lurking around my yard looking at stuff, my equipment yard. And then he’s telling me he’s supposed to be meeting a guy here. The guy is Black. And he, he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal.”
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The dispatcher asked, “Okay, so you shot –” Durgin spoke over him and said, “I shot at his car.”
On March 19, 2025, a grand jury indicted Durgin on charges of criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, according to a reports by WGME. Besides this, the state attorney general has also ordered a preliminary restraining order to be filed against Durgin to ensure that she cannot contact the man further.
The civil rights complaints further alleged that Durgin acted purely based on racial prejudice, which led to the damage of property and the threats to the man’s life. It should be noted here that each violation of the Civil Rights Act can carry a potential civil penalty of $5,000.
