Manchester Man, Accused Of Stabbing, Released On Personal Recognizance

MANCHESTER, NH — A man from Manchester with a prior threat conviction was released on personal recognizance after being accused of stabbing another man in Downtown Manchester on Friday night.

Manchester police were requested to a reported fight around 7 p.m. outside Bunny’s Convenience Store on Elm Street. When they arrived, they found a man in his 40s who was on the ground with multiple stab wounds to the chest and leg. Officers treated the man, and then he was taken to Elliot Hospital.

A K-9 unit was requested, and police searched the area. A second man was found on Bridge Street, also suffering from a stab wound, and he was taken to the hospital.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester Police Department and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

According to Jeffrey Hastings of Manchester Information, witnesses described the incident as involving two men, who appeared homeless, due to their large number of belongings. One man punched the other, and the fight continued until one man was left on the ground with stab wounds.

Security footage from a nearby business reportedly captured the incident on video.

Kyle Bisson, 25, the man reportedly found by police on Bridge Street, was arrested on second-degree assault and two falsifying physical evidence charges, all felonies. According to Heather Hamel, a public information officer for Manchester police, “The following day a magistrate hearing was held. The state (Manchester Police) asked that Bisson be held on preventative detention, noting that the two did not appear to know one another, and at one point during the fight, the victim reportedly tried to run, and Bisson followed him, continuing to stab him.”

Hamel said the violence “showed clear and convincing evidence that Bisson was a danger to others.” Police also noted he was previously convicted on a misdemeanor domestic violence-criminal threatening charge in October 2024 and was given a 60-day sentence, suspended for two years.

The magistrate, Stephanie Johnson, “ultimately … issued Bisson (personal recognizance) with standard conditions, which included a no-contact order with the victim.”

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, who has been actively testifying before the Legislature for two years in support of efforts to roll back bail reforms that have been allowing people accused of serious and violent crimes to be released, issued a statement saying, “This madness has to end.” Ruais questioned the decision by Johnson, asking, “On what planet is it considered acceptable to stab another human being at least nine times (and) then be released back out onto our streets.”

Ruais said it was an unconscionable decision.

“Our police, our residents, and our visitors are put at risk when criminals like this continue to be released, and it has to stop,” he said.

Ruais said HB 592, a bill before the Legislature reforming bail laws, needed to be approved and sent to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk “as quickly as possible, and get these people off our streets.”

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