Rochester man fatally shot by police had long history with law enforcement

Joseph Russell (Police mugshot)

CONCORD - The Rochester man fatally shot by police on Friday had multiple brushes with the law in the recent past, including arrests for drug possession, armed robbery and being a felon in possession of a deadly weapon.

Joseph Russell, 36, of Wildflower Lane, Rochester, died during a skirmish with Rochester and State Police when a K9 took him him to the ground and he flashed a gun, according to a statement from the Attorney Genrals Office sent on Saturday.

An autopsy conducted on Saturday determined that Russell died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide, which is defined as the killing of one person by another.

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting of Mr. Russell is ongoing, and the identity of the troopers who used deadly force will be disclosed once formal interviews of all involved in the incident occur in the coming days.

Rochester Police have indicated that prior to Friday they were seeking to locate and question Russell about several car thefts that had occurred earlier in the week in Lebanon, Maine, and Rochester.

On Friday they learned he had been spotted driving in Rochester on Friday and intercepted his vehicle 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.

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.

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.

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

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

In 2011 Russell was charged in the knifepoint robbery at George and Ed's Convenience Store in Rochester.

In 2016 her was arrested in Portsmouth on a heroin possession charge and in Sanford, Maine, in an armed robbery.

In 2017 Russell was indicted by a York (Maine) County grand jury for being a felon in possession.