Man Dies Inside Manchester Homeless Shelter Despite Life-Saving Effort

MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester police are investigating the death of a 30-year-old man inside the Families In Transition Shelter at 199 Manchester St. on Saturday night.

Manchester firefighters, AMR ambulance, and police responded to a report of an overdose inside one of the dormitory sections of the shelter. The response was coded as an echo response, the most urgent level.

Rescue 1 arrived moments later and reported CPR was in progress and advised they were working on a cardiac arrest. Despite life-saving efforts, the man died at the scene.

The scene was turned over to Manchester police, according to a radio transmission from Rescue 1.

Manchester Police Lt. Matthew Barter confirmed police responded to what was initially reported as an overdose inside the New Horizons shelter at 199 Manchester St., and the person was found deceased.

The cause of death is unknown at this time, but the death does not appear suspicious or criminal. Barter said police were handling the investigation, and the NH Attorney General’s Office is not involved. Police are awaiting an autopsy, including toxicology tests, to determine the manner and cause of death.

Police confirmed the man was 30 years old, no identification was released pending notification of the next of kin.

The shelter has been at the capacity level for several weeks, and about 40 to 50 occupied tents are set up in an encampment outside the shelter. The outside encampment was where a woman was found deceased in a tent on Christmas day.

A second homeless person was recently discovered outside in a tent near the rail trail off South Willow Street. None of the deaths have been considered suspicious or criminal.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news.