Officer Is Slain After Funeral for 2 N.H. Troopers

Hours after returning from a funeral for state troopers killed in last week’s rampage by a gunman, a rookie police officer was killed in a shootout Sunday.

Two suspects were arrested after a lengthy highway pursuit and a gun battle with another officer.

Officer Jeremy Charron, 24, was shot shortly before 5 a.m., after he stopped a car along a rural road in Epsom, a town of about 3,700 people where he was one of four full-time officers.

The suspects were identified as Gordon E. Perry, 22, and Kevin Paul, 18. State Atty. Gen. Philip McLaughlin said he would seek the death penalty against whoever is accused of pulling the trigger.

Perry was paroled about three months ago after serving about three years for being an accomplice to armed robbery, authorities said. Paul was released Aug. 3 after being locked up for violating parole by assaulting someone.

Authorities still do not know what led to the shooting of Charron. Because Perry was on parole and Paul was on probation, merely having a gun in the car would have sent both back to prison.

On Saturday, Charron had been among thousands of police officers from around the country who attended the funeral for state troopers Scott Phillips and Leslie Lord, who were gunned down in Colebrook. A lawyer and a newspaper editor also were killed in Tuesday’s rampage, and the gunman was later killed by officers. Four other officers were wounded.