Concord, NH — Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald and New Hampshire Police Colonel Christopher J. Wagner release the name of the State Police Trooper involved in the incident that took place on September 29, 2018, at Exit 6 of New Hampshire Route 101 (Beede Road) in Epping, New Hampshire, in which Walter Welch, Jr. died.
The Trooper who discharged his firearm during the incident was New Hampshire State Police Trooper Kevin Dobson. Trooper Dobson has been a member of the New Hampshire State Police for approximately a year and a half and is assigned to Troop A. Trooper Dobson remains on administrative leave.
The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under active investigation. A report regarding whether the use of force was justified will be released once the investigation is completed. No further updates are expected until the report is released.
On Monday, New Hampshire’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie V. Duval conducted an autopsy on Walter Welch, Jr., age 40, of Fremont, New Hampshire. Dr. Duval determined that the cause of Mr. Welch’s death was gunshot wounds to the head and the manner of death is undetermined.
The exact number and sequence of gunshots fired during the incident remains under active investigation.
No further information will be released until after the Trooper’s formal interview, which is expected to take place this week.