BRENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire police officer
fatally shot by a man who later died in a roaring house fire was invited
into the home by the gunman’s father during an argument and was
immediately cut down without a chance to draw his weapon, authorities
said Tuesday.
The state attorney general’s office said Brentwood
Police Officer Stephen Arkell died before the conflagration that
destroyed the duplex on a quiet suburban street and claimed the life of
the suspected gunman, 47-year-old Michael Nolan. Gunshots through the
walls and roof of the house sent neighbors and other officers fleeing
for cover.
Arkell’s body was found on the first floor while
Nolan’s was found in the garage area. Nolan’s father, 86-year-old Walter
Nolan, was treated at a hospital and released.
A second officer,
Derek Franek, responded minutes later from the neighboring Fremont
Police Department and found Arkell dead on the floor near a
bullet-sprayed wall. Franek escaped out the back as Nolan opened fire on
him and did not return fire.
Autopsies are being conducted on Arkell and Nolan.
Arkell,
who was married and had two teenage daughters, had worked for the
Brentwood Police Department for about 15 years as a part-time officer.
He helped coach the girls’ lacrosse team at Exeter High School, where
both of his daughters play.
Authorities said police had never been
called to the house before and that Nolan had no criminal record.
People in the neighborhood for residents 55 and older told police the
father and son had argued before.
About half an hour after the
shooting, the house burst into flames and video showed flames eating
through the roof of the modern yellow building. Firefighters were kept
away from the scene and soon a massive explosion blew the front off the
house. Within an hour, it was leveled.
Gov. Maggie Hassan directed that flags fly at half-staff in honor of Arkell.
"The
entire state of New Hampshire is in mourning over the tragic loss of
Brentwood Officer Steve Arkell," she said in a statement. "Officer
Arkell bravely answered the call of duty and made the ultimate
sacrifice, a heroic demonstration of his commitment to the safety of his
fellow citizens."
Among those extending their condolences was the
police department in Greenland, about 20 miles away, which lost its
police chief, Michael Maloney in a hail of gunfire during an April 2012
drug raid.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with our Brothers and Sisters in Brentwood," the department
posted on its Facebook page.
Neighbor
Wayne Hughes told the Portsmouth Herald that police responded to the
house after neighbors heard an argument Monday afternoon and called 911.
His wife, Susan, said she saw a police officer arrive at the home and
then heard "rapid gunfire."
Firefighters started attacking the
blaze around 6 p.m. It was largely out about a half-hour later and
didn’t appear to have spread to neighboring houses though some houses
were damaged by bullets and some residents are not yet able to go home.
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