Victim in Tuesday night shooting ID'd as city woman

Billy Jo Ahearn (Facebook photo)

ROCHESTER - Police and the AG's office today identified a Rochester woman as the female who was fatally shot around midnight on Tuesday.

Billy Jo Ahearn, 24, was said to be the victim in the shooting near the Friendly's restaurant on South Main Street.

The state's Attorney General and Rochester Police Chief Paul Toussaint also announced that after an autopsy by the state's chief medical examiner the death was determined to be a homicide and the cause of death was a single gunshot wound.

Today's announcement preceded news earlier today that police on Wednesday searched the Cocheco River behind the courthouse and a house on Lafayette Street for the gun officials believed was used in the fatal shooting.

WMUR reported earlier that the waters of the Cocheco behind the District Courthouse were searched by scuba divers late Wednesday afternoon.

Neither the AG's office nor Rochester Police would confirm whether the search at either location was specifically for the gun.

Workers at Friendly's restaurant, near the site of the shooting, told The Rochester Voice on Wednesday they also saw police searching the nearby grounds there with flashlights.

The incident unfolded as officers responded to the area around midnight Tuesday for a reported shooting incident that apparently involved two groups of people.

Upon arrival, officers discovered three adults, including Ahearn who had sustained a gunshot wound.

Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley declined to comment on any aspects of the case, including how many interviews had been conducted.

The incident is still under investigation. Anyone who may have information regarding the incident is asked to contact Detective Geoff Moore at the Rochester Police Department at (603) 330-7140.