UPDATE: Police identify man involved in Union Street stand-off last week

Sign Up For Our FREE Daily eNews!

FOM 2021 3340


Story Update – June 1, 2021: The following news update was provided by Manchester Police, identifying the man who was involved in a stand-off with police at 1454 Union St. last Wednesday:

Police have identified Benjamin Bennett. 41, of Manchester, as the man found dead inside a Union Street residence where he was involved in an hours-long stand-off with police. The stand-off began shortly after U.S. Marshals arrived at the residence to serve a federal drug warrant.

Mr. Bennett’s next of kin has been notified. An autopsy was conducted on May 28, 2021. The cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.


Original story below published May 26,2021.

Stand-off ends after police discover man inside residence dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound

MANCHESTER, NH – An hours-long stand-off between police and a 41-year-old man inside 1454 Union St. ended when police determined the man was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the home.

Chief Allen Aldenberg confirmed the news Wednesday afternoon, adding that Manchester police “did not fire one shot” during the stand-off, during which the man – whose name has not been released – reportedly fired shots toward police and U.S. marshals, who had come to the residence to act on an arrest warrant issued by the DEA.

Aldenberg praised the professionalism of Manchester’s team, which included SWAT and crisis negotiators. He also acknowledged an assist from Nashua Police who provided a Bearcat and SWAT officers.

Residents were asked by police to shelter in place starting at about 10 a.m. and detours were created along the busy through street to help secure the area.

Police narrative

The incident unfolded at 7:45 a.m. when U.S. marshals went to 1454 Union St. to serve a federal warrant. Shots were fired from inside the residence toward the agents.

Manchester Police responded and set up a perimeter, advising residents of the neighborhood to shelter in place, and shutting down traffic on surrounding roads. Four people exited the home and were safely removed from the area by police, leaving one man inside.

Crisis negotiators were able to make contact via cell phone with the man inside. They talked with the man for several hours, but later lost contact with him.

At that point, an irritant was deployed into the home through a window. When the individual did not come out, a drone was sent inside which located the man’s body in the basement. The Medical Examiner was called to the scene, and the official cause of death is pending an autopsy. However, it does appear that he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

The house was cleared by law enforcement and no one else was found to be inside.

“This was a tense situation from the beginning, but due to the quick response of initial patrol units and the subsequent response of the SWAT team, we were able to contain this very quickly. It ultimately allowed us to bring it to a resolution, Aldenberg said. “We appreciate the support and patience of the public, we understand the inconvenience this caused but we had to take every precaution to keep the community safe.   We are also thankful for the collaboration with our law enforcement partners in this matter.”

This was a multi-agency effort that included the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, US Marshals, DEA, Manchester Fire Department, American Medical Response, Nashua Police, and the FBI.

Now that the incident has been resolved, Union Street has been reopened to traffic. However, Manchester detectives will be at the scene tonight and tomorrow as the incident is now moving into the investigatory phase.

Related Stories

About this Author

Nathan Graziano

Nathan Graziano lives in Manchester with his wife and kids. He's the author of nine collections of fiction and poetry. His most recent book, Born on Good Friday was published by Roadside Press in 2023. He's a high school teacher and freelance writer, and in his free time, he writes bios about himself in the third person. For more information, visit his website: http://www.nathangraziano.com