Rochester car theft suspect killed in officer-involved shooting after police chase

Joseph Russell (Police mugshot)

ROCHESTER - The New Hampshire Attorney Generals Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Rochester on Friday that left a city man dead.

Earlier in the week Rochester Police had developed 36-year-old Joseph Russell as a suspect in multiple motor vehicle thefts, and learned that he'd been spotted driving in Rochester on Friday.

Police intercepted an armed Russell on Route 16 in the area of Gooseberry Circle, where he abandoned the vehicle he was driving and fled from police on foot into the Gooseberry Circle residential area.

Rochester and New Hampshire State Police entered the neighborhood and found Russell walking between residences, according to a statement sent from the state's Dept. of Safety earlier today.

When Russell spotted law enforcement, he fled again, prompting a law enforcement pursuit during which several verbal commands to surrender were issued.

When he did not comply, a State Police Trooper released their K-9 partner to subdue Russell. When the K-9 brought Russell to the ground, law enforcement reported seeing Russell draw a firearm, and two troopers fired at Russell, who died at the scene.

No one else was physically injured during the incident, and there is no threat to the public, police say. The investigation by the New Hampshire Department of Justice and the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit into the officer-involved shooting is ongoing.

Earlier on Friday Rochester Police alerted the public that they were on the lookout for a person of interest in a recent string of motor vehicle thefts in Maine and New Hampshire.

Police reportedly interviewed several possible witnesses and as a result said they believed Russell to be armed and dangerous.

Russell was also wanted on unrelated charges, police say.

An autopsy on Russell is scheduled for today.

Pursuant to protocol, the identity of the two troopers who fired at Russell will not be disclosed until formal interviews have occurred.

The shooting remains under active investigation.

This story will be updated.