Concord, NH – The Raymond man who led police on a manhunt Saturday after shooting an officer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that night, but he also sustained an additional shrapnel wound, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office Monday.
An autopsy Monday on Matthew J. Masse, 38, determined that Masse’s cause of death was a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chin/head and that the manner of his death was suicide, the release said.
“That office also determined that Mr. Masse sustained a shrapnel wound of his left elbow in addition to the self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the release said, adding there was officer-involved use of deadly force.
“The investigation into the officer-involved use of deadly force on Mr. Masse is ongoing, and the identity of the officers who used deadly force will be disclosed once formal interviews of all involved in the incident are completed in the coming weeks. Further information will be provided at that time,” the release said.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, police officers responded to an address on Ham Road for a report that Masse had fired a long gun at family members. As previously reported by other law enforcement agencies, Masse also fired his rifle at responding police officers, striking and wounding an officer with the Nottingham Police Department, and causing non-life-threatening injuries. Masse then fled the scene into a wooded area, according to a news release Sunday.
The Nottingham Police Department officer who was struck in the arm and wounded by one of Masse’s gunshots on Saturday earlier in the day was released from the hospital Monday.
“Following a search that necessitated issuing a shelter-in-place order for the safety of nearby residents, officers made contact with Mr. Masse at a wooded area around 10:06 p.m. Saturday, where they attempted to take him into custody. There was an exchange of gunfire between Mr. Masse with his rifle and the officers. Following that exchange, Mr. Masse was found deceased by officers when they approached his location,” Sunday’s release said.
The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under active investigation.