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Indictment on attempted murder

By Staff | Sep 23, 2016

MANCHESTER – Ian MacPherson, the 32-year-old former Merrimack resident arrested in May after two Manchester police officers were shot, was indicted this week on felony assault and attempted murder charges stemming from the incident.

MacPherson, most recently of 73 Dionne Drive, Apt. 3, Manchester, has been jailed since his arrest the morning of May 13 after a tension-filled few hours for police and West Side Manchester residents, who were told to stay in their homes and not answer the door.

MacPherson is among several former or current Greater Nashua residents indicted this week by the September term of the grand jury for Hillsborough County Superior Court northern division in Manchester.

An indictment is not an indication, or proof of, guilt, but reflects the grand jury’s determination that enough evidence exists for prosecutors to move the case forward in Superior Court.

Four indictments were handed down against MacPherson – two on the charge of first-degree assault and two for attempted murder.

They accuse him of "knowingly causing bodily injury" to Manchester police officers Ryan Hardy and Matthew O’Connor by shooting them, acts that constituted "a substantial step toward the commission of the crime of murder," according to the indictments.

Other Nashua-area people indicted this month by the Northern Division grand jury are:

Christopher Patrikis, 27, 12 Shoal Creek Road, Hudson. One count, possession of a controlled drug with intent to dispense, a special felony; and one count, attempt to commit the crime of falsifying physical evidence, a Class B felony, for allegedly possessing 1 gram or more of fentanyl with the intent to dispense, and for allegedly trying to conceal from police baggies containing fentanyl by placing them under his foot, on July 30 in Manchester.

Arnold Denis, 26, 32 Ashley Drive, Milford. One count, operating a vehicle while a certified habitual offender, Class B felony; and one count, disobeying a police officer, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly driving after his license had been suspended or revoked by the state due to his status as a habitual offender, and knowingly hindering police by falsely identifying himself as Karl Leroy, 24, on June 5 in an unspecified town in Hillsborough County.

Joshua Peterson, 21, 5 Hamlet Drive, Apt. 29, Nashua. One count, accomplice to theft by unauthorized taking, Class B felony, for allegedly aiding another person in the commission of theft by driving the person to and from the location where the person allegedly stole a wallet containing property worth in excess of $1,000, on April 4 in New Boston.

Kelly Connelly, 30, 6 Erla Road, Apt. 1, Merrimack. One count, possession of a controlled drug, Class B felony, for allegedly possessing fentanyl on July 18 in Manchester.

Coty Bourke, 25, 9 Tamworth Lane, Merrimack. One count, possession of controlled drug, Class B felony, for allegedly possessing a quantity of buprenorphine on July 13 in Manchester.

As for MacPherson, the harrowing series of incidents that triggered a massive manhunt through city neighborhoods began just after 2 a.m. May 13, when Hardy pulled over near Second and Ferry streets to question a man who matched the description of a recent armed robbery.

Seconds later, Hardy radioed that he’d been shot, prompting other officers to race to the scene as well as flood the area looking for the shooter.

About a half-hour later, the suspect, later identified as MacPherson, emerged at Rimmon and Putnam streets and allegedly disobeyed police orders to surrender, instead raising a handgun and telling officers "I’m the guy you are looking for" before allegedly shooting O’Connor in the leg.

Several people close to MacPherson said at the time that he’d been battling mental illness for years, for which he sought treatment but was unsuccessful. Some called him a "funny kid" who was often "misunderstood" by others – but nobody, people said at the time, ever imagined he’d be charged with such serious crimes.

Dean Shalhoup can be reached at 594-6443, dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DeanS.

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