DALTON, N.H. (AP) - One man is dead and a New Hampshire state trooper is recovering from being shot after a traffic stop in Dalton.
According to the attorney general’s office, the trooper stopped a vehicle driven by Mark Clermont, 45, of Whitefield, around 9 p.m. Wednesday. A short time later, there was an exchange of gunfire between the trooper and Clermont, who was armed with a rifle and a handgun. Responding officers found Clermont dead at the scene.
An autopsy Thursday determined he died of a gunshot wound to the head. The manner of death was homicide, which as used by the state medical examiner is defined as the killing of one person by another.
The trooper, whose name has not been released, was hospitalized. He was in critical but stable condition Thursday afternoon.
The trooper was not wearing a body camera, nor was there one mounted on his cruiser. Such cameras are not required for state troopers, though they will be soon under police accountability reforms recently enacted in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Authorities said no further information would be released until investigators complete a formal interview with the trooper.
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