KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella has concluded that five New Hampshire State Police troopers were legally justified in fatally shooting 57-year-old David Ward during a six-hour standoff in Keene in August 2025. No criminal charges will be filed against the officers.

In a final report released Thursday, Oct. 15, Formella’s office determined that the use of deadly force was objectively reasonable under state law, based on witness interviews, police video recordings, physical evidence, and other investigative findings.

The shooting occurred Aug. 12, 2025, in the parking lot of TD Bank at 194 West St., where Keene police had attempted to stop Ward as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. Officers had obtained a search warrant for Ward, his vehicle and any occupants. Investigators also knew Ward was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction and had a history of violent encounters, including a 1998 armed standoff during which he attempted to shoot a Keene police officer.

According to the report, Ward refused repeated orders to leave his vehicle with his hands raised, prompting a prolonged standoff involving Keene police and the State Police Special Weapons and Tactics team.

Ward’s passenger eventually exited the vehicle and surrendered to officers. She told investigators that Ward had a loaded semiautomatic handgun. Police also used a drone and a tactical robot to monitor the vehicle, with officers receiving updates indicating that Ward continued to hold the gun in his right hand.

During negotiations, Ward repeatedly indicated that he did not want to return to prison and made statements suggesting he wanted police to shoot him. Negotiators spent approximately six hours attempting to persuade him to surrender peacefully.

Police eventually deployed two rounds of CS gas into the vehicle in an effort to compel Ward to exit without his weapon. After the first deployment, Ward opened the driver’s door and was seen holding a handgun beneath his chin, according to the report.

The situation escalated after the second round of gas was deployed. Investigators determined that Ward rapidly lunged out of the driver’s side of the vehicle while still holding the firearm. Shortly before the movement, he had threatened to come out shooting, according to statements documented in the report.

Five State Police SWAT members fired their rifles: Sgt. Noah Sanctuary, Sgt. Nicholas Levesque, Sgt. Aramus Caraballo, Trooper Matthew Dushame and Trooper Jacob Hunt. Ward fell backward into the vehicle after being struck.

Officers maintained their positions until they could safely remove Ward from the car. A police K-9 was used to extract him before medical personnel approached. Ward was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation found that the officers’ accounts were supported by video footage and physical evidence. Although cameras did not capture Ward’s hands at the precise moment the shots were fired, recordings showed his rapid movement out of the vehicle immediately beforehand. The investigation also documented officers’ observations that he was holding a handgun.

Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun from Ward’s lap inside the vehicle. The weapon contained five rounds in its magazine and another round in the chamber. The report said the physical evidence was consistent with an officer’s account of hearing a metallic sound resembling the action of a firearm being prepared to fire shortly before Ward emerged from the vehicle.

An autopsy determined that Ward died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck and upper back. The medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide, a classification indicating that the death resulted from another person’s actions. Toxicology testing also detected cocaine and its metabolites in Ward’s system.

In evaluating the shooting, the Attorney General’s Office applied New Hampshire law governing police use of deadly force, including whether officers reasonably believed such force was necessary to protect themselves or others from an imminent threat of deadly force.

The report concluded that Ward’s threats, continued possession of the handgun, refusal to surrender and sudden movement from the vehicle gave the five troopers reasonable grounds to believe he posed an immediate threat to officers and others nearby.

The Attorney General’s review focused on whether the officers’ actions complied with criminal law, rather than assessing the tactics or procedures used during the incident.

Formella’s final determination clears all five troopers of criminal wrongdoing in connection with the shooting. No criminal charges will be brought against them.