LONDONDERRY, NH — A traffic stop escalated into a two-hour standoff that ended with the driver taking their own life on Rockingham Road.
The Londonderry Police Department was called to assist Manchester Police with a motor vehicle stop at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 9.
The vehicle stopped between Smith Lane and Mammoth Road, and the operator refused to comply with the Manchester officer’s commands.
Manchester SWAT and negotiators worked to end the standoff peacefully.
Londonderry officers arrived on scene and assisted Manchester Police, closed the roadways and secured the area.
The incident was contained to a small area, and there was no threat to the public during the encounter.
About two hours after the initial stop, the operator and lone occupant of the vehicle took their own life.
Londonderry detectives investigated the incident through the night, and the roads reopened around 4:45 a.m.
An autopsy was conducted at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 10, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that the occupant died from a self-inflicted single gunshot wound.
The suicide remains under investigation by the Londonderry Police Department’s Detective Division.
The identification of the decedent is being withheld, and additional information is not expected to be released.
