ROCHESTER, NH – A man implicated in multiple vehicle theft cases was fatally shot by state police troopers in Rochester, New Hampshire, according to official reports. The deceased, identified as Joseph Russell, 36, of Rochester, was shot when he allegedly brandished a firearm after being apprehended by a state police canine.
The Rochester Police Department initiated the search for Russell on Thursday following car theft reports from both Rochester and Lebanon, Maine. Eyewitness testimonies led the authorities to label Russell as armed and dangerous.
On Friday, Rochester police received information about Russell’s presence in the local area. The officers then managed to confront him on Route 16 near Gooseberry Circle, where he had abandoned his car and fled on foot into a nearby wooded territory, as reported by Attorney General Nicholas Chong Yen.
Upon spotting Russell moving stealthily between homes, officers from both the Rochester Police and the New Hampshire State Police initiated a pursuit. Ignoring the officers’ commands to halt, Russell tried fleeing anew before he was eventually overpowered by a state police K9 unit.
In the aftermath, officers reported witnessing Russell drawing a gun- an action that triggered two troopers to fire at him. Russell was pronounced dead on the scene.
The Attorney General’s Office confirmed that none of the enforcement officers were physically injured during the face-off, and there was no ensuing threat to public safety. An ongoing investigation is being conducted into the details of the shooting incident.
Autopsy findings revealed Russell’s cause of death to be multiple gunshot wounds, and it has been classified as a homicide. According to investigators, the identities of the troopers involved will be released after standard protocol interviews are completed.