UPDATE: Associate Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin responded to the following questions from IndepthNH.org after the release was issued today. His responses are in bold.
Did the three officers who discharged their weapons all strike Mr. Sheehan?
Strelzin: That is a subject of the ongoing investigation.
Are you now releasing the officers who discharged their weapons even if they didn’t hit the person?
Strelzin: We are releasing the names of the officers who discharged their weapons during this incident.
Is the incident referenced on South Road in fact the shooting death of Mr. Sheehan?
Strelzin: Yes.
Are the officers on paid leave until the report is released? How is a small town like Belmont managing with three officers off duty?
Strelzin: You will have to address these questions to Belmont PD.
Editor’s note: The following are two news releases issued by the Attorney General’s Office. InDepthNH.org asked for more information about the incident and this story will be updated when they respond. It has been updated. The first one was released June 21, 2019.
Concord, NH – Deputy Attorney General Jane E. Young and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Christopher J. Wagner release the names of the Belmont Police Officers involved in the incident that took place on June 15, 2019, on South Road in Belmont, New Hampshire.
The Belmont Police Officers who discharged their firearms during the incident were Sergeant Evan Boulanger (approximately 12 years as a police officer), Officer Christopher Kloetz (approximately 12 years as a police officer), and Officer Patrick Riley (approximately 7 years as a police officer).
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.
Attorney General’s News Release dated June 17, 2019
Concord, N.H. – Deputy Attorney General Jane E. Young and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Christopher J. Wagner announce additional information concerning the officer-involved shooting that took place on June 15, 2019, in Belmont, New Hampshire.
At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, 2019, there was an officer-involved shooting incident on South Road in Belmont, New Hampshire. Michael Sheehan II (age 45) of Northfield, New Hampshire was killed during that shooting incident, which involved Belmont police officers.
An autopsy was performed yesterday, which determined that Mr. Sheehan’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds of the trunk and the manner of death is homicide. As used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.
The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain actively under investigation. No further information will be released until after the involved officers’ formal interviews.