Man shot and killed by state police after exchange of gunfire in Franklin, N.H., attorney general says

The man fatally shot during an armed confrontation with State Police in Franklin, N.H. had exchanged gunfire with troopers as his apartment complex caught fire, officials said.

Nate Landrebe, 42, was identified as the victim by state Attorney General John M. Formella’s office on Tuesday evening.

Shortly before 10 p.m. on Sunday, police in Franklin, a small city about 20 miles north of Concord, went to an apartment complex on West Bow Street, where a woman had called 911 to report that her neighbor had tried to smash through her front door,Formella’s office said in a statement.

“Responding officers saw her door had been shot at with a firearm,” Formella’s office said.

Police evacuated the woman, who was not harmed, and tried to contact the male tenant across the hall.

“Officers heard gunshots coming from inside the male’s residence and an armed standoff ensued, during which members of the New Hampshire State Police SWAT Unit responded to assist,” the statement said.

Around 2:30 a.m. on Monday, police saw black smoke coming from the windows and eaves of the building, officials said, and issued a shelter-in-place order at 2:45 a.m. for residents in the area.

Around 3 a.m., officers “could see fire inside the building when the adult male exchanged multiple gunshots with troopers,” officials said. “The male stopped firing and was located just outside the residence near a rear first-floor window after suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.”

Landrebe died at the apartment complex. Tuesday’s autopsy determined his cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled as a homicide, officials said.

“Life-saving measures were later attempted but the severity of the fire prevented officers from being able to get to the male to provide immediate medical aid,” officials said.

Two members of the SWAT unit fired their guns during the response, officials said.

“Pursuant to protocol, the names of the two troopers involved are being withheld pending the conclusion of formal interviews,” they said.

No law enforcement personnel were hurt. The building sustained substantial fire damage; the cause of the fire is under investigation by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office, officials said.

“At this time, there are no apparent indications that the fire was caused by any law enforcement action,” officials said.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. The identity of the troopers involved will not be released until formal interviews have happened, Formella’s office said.