NH AG Clears State Trooper in Woman’s Death

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has completed its investigation of the death of Wendy Lawrence, the Canterbury woman who was shot and killed by State Trooper Chad Lavoie in Manchester last month after a high-speed chase on I-89, and I-93, and cleared Lavoie of any wrongdoing.

The 13-page report, released on Oct. 15, analyzed the entire events of Sept. 30, and compiled information from law enforcement and eye witnesses to the events that transpired, as well as state police cruiser audio and video, and physical evidence at the scene.

On the date of her death, Lawrence was pulled over on I-89 southbound by a trooper for reportedly driving erratically. After offering a non-driver’s state ID and stating she had a valid license. While the trooper was getting a background check of Lawrence, she fled the scene. It turned out that Lawrence was operating after suspension. The trooper pursued Lawrence for a short time and later came across the Chevrolet Monte Carlo she was driving in a ditch. After pulling out of the ditch, Lawrence headed south on I-93, nearly striking a person on the highway. 

Troopers followed Lawrence and tried to stop her, laying spikes on the road in an attempt to stop the car but she turned off Exit 9S at I-93, and drove to Dave Street and Kennard Road in Manchester, where she was later shot and killed by Lavoie.

The report concludes that on numerous occasions, Lawrence had the opportunity to surrender to police and chose not to. Just before the shooting, the attorney general’s report surmised, that the evidence points to Lawrence attempting to use her vehicle as a weapon against Lavoie, first, when the Monte Carlo crashed into a parked cruiser that were being used to stop Lawrence, and later, attempting to drive the car at Lavoie before she was shot and killed. 

The report also analyzed the legal standards by which law enforcement personnel can use deadly force when they believe they, or others, are potentially being threatened by deadly force.

“Based on all the facts and circumstances known to New Hampshire State Trooper Chad Lavoie at the time he tried to take Wendy Lawrence into custody, and examining the situation from the standpoint of an objective police officer in Trooper Lavoie’s position, it was reasonable for him to conclude that Ms. Lawrence was about to use deadly force against him when she drove her car at him,” the report concludes. “Accordingly, Trooper Lavoie was legally justified in using deadly force against Ms. Lawrence to defend himself from what he reasonably believed was the imminent use of deadly force by her.”

The report analyzed Lawrence’s prior criminal and motor vehicle history, including being a habitual offender when she was initially stopped on I-89, a conviction on resisting arrest or detention and simple assault in July, previous convictions for theft by deception, welfare fraud, multiple DWI convictions, dealing in or possession prescription drugs, probation violation, and possession. Lawrence had also been arrested on obstructing the report of a crime and possession of a controlled drug, but those charges were placed “on file without finding for one year,” pending good behavior.

The report presumed that Lawrence fled the trooper on I-89, left the scene of an accident, and refused to stop for police numerous times, were “motivated by her prior criminal and motor vehicle record due to the near certainty that she would be going to prison if the troopers successfully apprehended her.”

The attorney general also noted that Lavoie had been involved in two other officer involved deadly force incidents before Sept. 30. One, in May 2011, involved a standoff between officers and James Breton in Manchester. At that incident, Lavoie did not discharge his weapon. In October 2011, Lavoie and other officers “fatally wounded an armed suspect during a confrontation in Pelham,” according to the report.

“Both of those incidents were found to be justified uses of deadly force by the officers involved,” the report noted.