MANCHESTER, NH – Two Manchester Police officers who were shot by a single assailant back in May of 2016 have filed a lawsuit against the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s commissioner and the Derry gun shop which sold the gun.
According to this NHPR story, Manchester Police Officers Ryan Hardy and Matthew O’Connor have filed a lawsuit naming Commissioner John J. Barthelmes and Chester Arms in Derry, citing the sale of a firearm to Ian MacPherson should never have been allowed.
Not only was MacPherson well known to local police as “a danger to himself,” but there were also several other factors that should have disqualified him as a gun owner, including:
- his involuntary commitment to a state hospital
- a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence
- adjudication as a “mental defective” under federal law
- his reliance on medication to control his mental health conditions
NHPR’s Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley interviewed Mark Morrissette, the attorney representing the two Manchester police officers. You can read the full story here, which includes a link to the audio broadcast.
