Police officer shot in face, torso, released from hospital

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Flags at all public buildings in New Hampshire were being lowered to half-staff Sunday in honour of National Peace Officers Memorial Day, one day after a police officer was released from a hospital where he was being treated for gunshot wounds.

Gov. Maggie Hassan said the shootings of two Manchester police officers as they pursued an armed robbery suspect Friday are a “vivid reminder of the risks the members of law enforcement take every day.”

Officer Ryan Hardy, 27, was released from a Boston hospital Saturday where he was being treated for gunshot wounds to the face and torso. Police wouldn’t provide any other details on his condition.

Hardy and Officer Matthew O’Connor were shot minutes apart as they pursued the suspect. The 28-year-old O’Connor was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg and released from a hospital that same day.

Police say 32-year-old Ian MacPherson, of Manchester, is being held without bail on two counts of attempted capital murder. He wasn’t injured in the chase, and is expected to be arraigned Monday.

Manchester Police Chief Nick Willard said Hardy stopped MacPherson on the city’s West Side because he matched the description of a suspect in a gas station armed robbery the previous day. MacPherson began shooting at Hardy as soon as the officer announced himself, police said. About 20 minutes later, MacPherson encountered O’Connor and shot him, police said.