New HampshireDepartment of JusticeOffice of the Attorney General

News Release

For Immediate Release
April 9, 2022

Contact:
Michael S. Garrity, Director of Communications
michael.s.garrity@doj.nh.gov | (603) 931-9375

Benjamin J. Agati, Senior Assistant Attorney General
Benjamin.agati@doj.nh.gov | (603) 419-0124

Additional Information on Officer-Involved Shooting in Derry

Concord, NH - New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella announces additional information concerning an officer-involved shooting in Derry, New Hampshire.

At approximately 2:17 P.M. on Saturday, April 9, 2022, members of the Derry Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an individual with a shotgun approaching 1 Driftwood Road, a private home, and firing at a resident. Police responded to the address in the area of Olde Coach Rd. and Rt. 28 Bypass in Derry. During the incident that unfolded, a neighborhood resident from 5 Driftwood Road, Christopher Coppola, age 43, was shot. Initial information indicates three officers discharged weapons during the incident. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8:30 A.M. at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine Mr. Coppola's cause and manner of death.

No law enforcement officers or other private citizens were physically injured during the shooting incident, including the initial resident who was fired at. Pursuant to protocol, the name of the officers involved in the incident are being withheld pending the conclusion of a formal interview. The initial responding officers did not have body cameras. Investigators will be reviewing whether cruiser cameras video or audio recorded any portion of the incident.

Additional information is not anticipated until after the autopsy results are known tomorrow.

New Hampshire Department of Justice
1 Granite Place South | Concord, NH | 03301
Telephone: 603-271-3658