NH AG: Lawrence Died from State Police Gunshot Wound

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office issued a statement on Oct. 2, concerning the death of Wendy Lawrence, a 45-year-old Canterbury woman who was shot and killed by a New Hampshire State Trooper in Manchester earlier this week.

According to the report, at around 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 30, a trooper stopped Lawrence in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo for allegedly driving “erratically” on I-89 South. 

FIRST REPORT: High Speed Chase on I-93 Ends in Shooting (featuring photos and video)

FOLLOW: Concord NH Patch Tweeter feed and Facebook page where details of the alleged incident were first reported

Lawrence reportedly gave the trooper a New Hampshire non-driver’s ID but said she had a valid license. The trooper returned to the cruiser to look up her driving record and she allegedly left the scene. 

Lawrence, according to the driving check, was a habitual offender and had a suspended license.

Lawrence sped away on I-89 South heading into Concord, according to the report, and the trooper pursued the vehicle but later, broke off the pursuit. The trooper later found Lawrence’s car sideways in the highway at the end of I-89 near the Bow Junction. 

According to the report, as the trooper arrived at the scene, the car allegedly sped off again, and almost hit a person who was on the highway. Lawrence continued onto the I-93 South onramp at “a high rate of speed.”

“Several State Police troopers assisted in trying to apprehend Lawrence and were behind her as she turned off I-93 into Manchester,” according to the report. “Troopers in marked police cruisers followed Lawrence to the intersection of Dave Street and Kennard Road in Manchester, where the police attempted to stop Lawrence. It was at that location where a trooper discharged his firearm and fatally wounded Lawrence.”

Lawrence was transported to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester where she was pronounced dead, according to the report.

“The circumstances that led to Lawrence being shot are currently under investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, the New Hampshire State Police, and the Manchester Police Department,” the AG’s statement said.

The state’s medical examiner conducted an autopsy on Lawrence and determined she was struck by four of the at least 11 bullets that were shot into her car. She died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to the report. Her death is ruled a “homicide, meaning that her death was caused by another person,” the report stated.

The attorney general’s office did not return an email request asking for Lawrence arrest and conviction record. The Concord Monitor reported today that she had a possession of marijuana charge, driving charges, an assault charge against her boyfriend, and a felony habitual offender conviction from 2008, based on incidents in 2002. 

Boyfriend, others upset by the shooting

According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Lawrence was leaving the home of Charles Peter of Warner, her boyfriend, before being stopped by state police. 

In an interview with the newspaper on Oct. 1, he was distraught about the shooting and stated that Lawrence was “petrified” of police and had a “history of minor run-ins” with law enforcement.

“They pretty much executed her,” he said.

Lawrence and Peter had been dating for about three years.

During the past 48 hours, Lawrence’s Facebook page has filled up with notes of shock and anguish from her friends and family, as well as friends sharing pictures of “the real Wendy Lawrence.” A number of people also commended her services as a wedding disc jockey, one of her part-time jobs. 

“Nothing can hurt you now,” wrote one person in mourning. Another wrote, “Unarmed. Hands up. Frightened. What’s up?!?! Someone better answer.”