Fighting, Screaming, And Rocks Thrown At Concord Homeless Camp

CONCORD, NH — Concord police and New Hampshire State Police troopers spent hours searching for a suspect and others involved in a reported of fighting and screaming at a homeless camp on Monday.

Around 9:15 p.m., Concord police were called to a report of an incident at a camp near the Kimball-Jenkins Estate on North Main Street by the railroad tracks. The caller told dispatch she heard at least one gunshot.

Officers converged on the area as well as surrounding locations — including North Main Street, Constitution Avenue, Horseshoe Pond, and Commercial Street, as well as the Friendly Kitchen, under the Interstate 393 bridge, and along the railroad tracks behind Boutwell’s Bowling Alley on North State Street. When police arrived at the camp, they spoke to several witnesses and identified a potential suspect. An officer stated the man had a hatchet, but no one had seen a gun.

At another location, a second officer attempted to question a man but they reportedly fled. The officer “tackled” the man as he was running from the scene. According to scanner chatter, the man was another man with active warrants, not the suspect. He was then taken into custody.

The first officer told dispatch and others that the suspect might be at one of the camps off of a parking lot along I-393. New camps have sprung up, of late, at parking lots and wooded areas along the highway. Police described the man as wearing black pants and carrying a blue backpack and a blue sleeping bag over his shoulder.

Another man, wanted for questioning, had left the area, and reportedly carried two black backpacks. He headed toward Fort Eddy Road, police said.

Around 9:30 p.m., New Hampshire State Police asked Concord dispatch if they needed support, and the officer in the field said No.

After searching the other areas, officers headed to Storrs Street and checked tents in the area.

When asked by a watch commander if there were any major injuries, the lead officer said, No, just rocks being thrown and threats made.

A woman at the camp told officers she saw one of the men walking south along the tracks. After investigating, police confirmed both domestic violence criminal threatening and criminal mischief incidents occurred.

A few minutes later, an officer spotted a man on Stickney Avenue near U-Haul. Other officers arrived to search the bus depot and overflow parking lots.

Around 9:45 p.m., one officer reported two men fleeing the area after seeing them. They began running south along the Storrs Street railroad tracks. Later, the officer stopped them, and they were cleared and were not connected to the incident.

About 30 minutes later, a New Hampshire State Police K-9 unit was called in to try and track a suspect's scent. Police spoke to several men around the city and none were the suspect or others who were wanted for questioning after the incident.

Officers began to clear the areas, with some returning to headquarters to file paperwork around 11 p.m.

Concord NH Patch will update this post when more information becomes available.

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