CONCORD, NH – New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella on Tuesday released more information following a fatal shooting by police in Gilford on Jan. 1, 2023.
A teenager, identified as Mischa Fay, was shot and killed during a 911 call. Formella says the 17-year-old was armed with a knife and when officers entered the home, one officer discharged a taser while another officer discharged a firearm. The teen sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Officers were wearing body cameras. The officers involved have not yet been identified as per police protocol. Formella’s full statement is below.
At approximately 9:52 p.m. on Sunday, January 1, 2023, Gilford police officers responded to a 911 call to 5 Varney Point Road for a report of a resident armed with a knife. The responding officers encountered the armed resident inside the home. During the encounter, one officer discharged an electronic taser and a second officer discharged his firearm.
Mischa Fay (age 17), a minor, was the armed resident. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie V. Duval conducted an autopsy this morning. Dr. Duval was able to determine that Mr. Fay’s cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide. As used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.
No law enforcement officers, or other private citizens, were physically injured during this incident. Pursuant to protocol, the names of the officers involved in the incident are being withheld pending the conclusion of formal interviews. The initial responding officers did have body cameras.
The circumstances surrounding this incident remain actively under investigation. Additional information will not be released until after the officers’ interviews are completed.
