NH AG: Body Cameras Reveal Canterbury Man Lunged at Cops with Knife

Attorney General Joseph A. Foster and State Police Colonel Robert Quinn announce that the man who died in the officer involved shooting in Bath, has been identified as Hagen Esty-Lennon, 42, of Canterbury.

The incident, which led to the shooting, according to a press statement, began when Esty-Lennon’s vehicle crashed on an abandoned bridge at the intersections of Routes 112 and 302 in Bath, at approximately 4 p.m. on July 6, 2015.

Police and Emergency Medical personnel responded to reports of this accident and a man with a weapon who appeared to be suffering from a stab wound to the chest.

Two officers from the Haverhill Police Department encountered Esty-Lennon walking southbound on Route 302. The officers were both equipped with body cameras.

The videos from these body cameras document the following: Esty-Lennon was reportedly holding a knife and appeared to be bleeding from his chest as he walked toward the officers. The officers ordered Esty-Lennon to drop the knife and to stop his progression toward them.

The officers had their weapons drawn at that juncture. However, Esty-Lennon reportedly ignored these repeated commands, and instead turned away from the officers. He then quickly turned back toward the officers, lunging at the officers with the knife in his hand. The officers then fired their weapons in response, according to the report.

The investigation into this incident remains ongoing.

According to reports online, Esty-Lennon was arrested for violating a protective order in Concord in 2013. The charge involved a picture of the words “Hoe for Hire” and his wife’s cellphone number. He was found guilty of the charge in 2014. However, he appealed and later, in March of this year, the New Hampshire Supreme Court reversed the conviction, saying there was insufficient evidence to convict.

According to a November 2005 edition of the Concord Monitor, Esty-Lennon and his wife were caught up in Mexico in the middle of Hurricane Wilma.