Nickenley Turenne's Family, Advocates Keep Fighting For Information About His Death

By ZACH LAIRD, InDepth NH

MANCHESTER, NH — Family and advocates of Nickenley Turenne, 24, are still calling for justice and pushing for further information about his death to be released five months after he was killed while running from police officers on Dec. 6, 2025.

Turenne's loved ones were joined by advocates and about a dozen community members who rallied outside Manchester City Hall Tuesday evening to raise awareness about his case. According to a press release from Attorney General John Formella, whose office is investigating the incident, officers responded to a call about a suspicious parked vehicle around 4:43 a.m. on Dec 6, 2025. Turenne, a Black man, fled at high speeds after being approached by police and crashed nearby.

Turenne was shot by Manchester officers Brandon Baliko, Andre Chan, and Devin Lambert while attempting to flee on foot. He had a protective order against him filed by his girlfriend, Nikki Murray, who was with him the day he was shot, according to his father Enick Turenne.

Murray spoke at the gathering about how much she misses him. "I find little things that I’m doing that I could hear him talking to me, or kind of saying little funny comments to me to just kind of make me laugh… I just miss him a lot, and he was an amazing person.”

Murray continued that he was going to school to be a mechanic and had dreams of one day opening up a food truck. She said she feels an enormous amount of love from supporters, and that she and Turenne’s family appreciate all they’ve done to help out or spread awareness.

Marsha V. Kazarosian, the family’s attorney, said she expects more information on Turenne’s case to be released by June. She noted she was surprised to learn the officers involved in the shooting were back at work five days later. She added the investigation is currently “not any place any further than it was before. We don’t have any information yet.”

“To the extent that there was an investigation done, putting them back on the streets armed seems to me that there’s been some conclusions made about their ability to do their job, and about what happened that morning, but that remains to be seen,” Kazarosian said.

The Manchester Police Department could not be reached for comment.

Michael Garrity, director of communications for the New Hampshire Department of Justice (DOJ), said that returning an officer to duty is a decision made by their specific department; it is not a New Hampshire DOJ determination, and does not mean the investigation is complete or that the force was ruled justified.

Kazarosian added, “(Turenne) had family who loved him, he had friends who loved him, he had a girlfriend who loved him, and even people who didn’t know him and care about what happened to him. That’s love, and that’s the kind of support that he needs right now, and that his family needs. I’m going to get justice sooner or later. We’re never going to forget Nickenley Turenne.”

Enick Turenne said he misses Nickenley so badly, and that he can’t wait to see him again. He recalled how Nickenley would tell him, “I love you to death,” and said he wonders if Nickenley still loves him.

“I’m sure they (the three officers) could have done better, or they could have done something different instead of eliminate him,” Wilda Turenne, Nickenley’s stepmother said. She recalled how she wasn’t able to go to work for weeks after the killing. She added his family thinks about him every day, and that people have to put pressure on investigators to finally get justice.

Grace Kindeke, director of projects for the New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equality, said she was angry at Mayor Jay Ruais — who she noted is also a father — for not connecting with the Turenne family after Nickenley’s death. She added that there is power in community members coming together to help spread awareness of Turenne’s story.

“We do not allow our leaders or each other to forget what has happened, because we don’t just stand here because a young man was killed. We stand here because a loved one was taken from us when they didn’t need to be. We stand here recognizing that there is always more than can and should have been done… and yes, we continue to wait for official processes, but we do not wait silently,” Kindeke said.

Court records show that Murray, 26, had been dating and living with Turenne for about a year before his death. He was arrested on May 26, 2025 for harassing and stalking her. A police report from the same day notes that both Murray and Turenne were arrested after the former attempted to interfere with Turenne’s arrest. Murray, in a previous interview with InDepthNH.org, said the incident was a misunderstanding and that they were both trying to move on from it.

She was granted an order of protection against Turenne, who was arrested on May 26, 2025, for harassing and stalking her. She was granted a final order of protection on July 7, 2025 that was in effect for one year – until July 6 of this year — and was still in effect when police shot Turenne. Charges were dropped after his death.

“The New Hampshire Department of Justice conducts thorough, objective investigations into all officer-involved uses of deadly force. The investigation into this matter remains active, and the timeline is consistent with similar cases. Because it is ongoing, we cannot comment on specific evidence, such as body camera footage or the details of the confrontation, at this time. Findings will be released in a full report upon completion,” Garrity said.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.