Victim of officer-involved shooting identified as Pelham man

NASHUA - A Pelham man has been identified as the victim killed in an officer-involved shooting outside a home improvement store in Nashua on Sunday.

An autopsy conducted Monday on Ryan Prudhomme, 41, of Pelham, determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide, which as used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is defined as the killing of one person by another.

Police got involved shortly before 8:45 p.m. as officers with the Nashua Police Department responded to the area of the Lowes home improvement store at 143 Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua following a report from Pelham police of an adult male Pelham resident who was armed earlier in the evening and was last seen leaving his residence.

The responding officers encountered the male outside the store armed with a handgun. During the ensuing encounter, two officers ultimately discharged less-lethal munitions, and one officer discharged a firearm. Life saving measures were attempted, but the male suffered lethal injuries and died.

No law enforcement officers have been physically injured, and there is no threat to the public.

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, according to a Monday statement by the Dept. of Safety. The identity of the officers using less-lethal and deadly-force in this case will not be disclosed until formal interviews take place, which is expected to occur sometime within next 10 days.