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 yesterday afternoon.

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. The individual with the shotgun was Christopher Coppola, age 43, a neighboring resident from 5 Driftwood Road. Police responded to the address, and during the incident that unfolded, Mr. Coppola was shot. Initial information indicates three officers discharged weapons during the incident.

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg conducted an autopsy this morning. Dr. Weinberg was able to determine that Mr. Coppola's cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, and the manner of death was homicide. As used by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another.

The resident of 1 Driftwood Rd who Mr. Coppola fired at, as well as the law enforcement officers who responded, were not physically injured during this shooting incident.

The exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain actively under investigation. Additional information will not be released until after the officers' formal interviews, which is expected to take place during the coming weeks.

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