NINE-HOUR MANHUNT Ends in Fatal Shootout

A nine-hour manhunt through New Hampshire woodlands ended in gunfire when police cornered a domestic violence suspect who had already wounded an officer and allegedly attacked his own family with a rifle.

Story Snapshot

Matthew J. Masse, 38, shot family members from a second-floor window before firing on responding officers in Raymond, NH, wounding a Nottingham police officer on Saturday afternoon
Masse fled into dense woods, triggering shelter-in-place orders and a massive multi-agency search involving K-9 units and tactical teams across rural Rockingham County
Police located Masse around 10:06 p.m., where he exchanged gunfire with officers during an arrest attempt and was killed at the scene
The suspect had active felony warrants for attempted arson at his family’s home two days earlier, suggesting a pattern of escalating domestic violence
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella opened an investigation into the officer-involved shooting while an autopsy was scheduled to confirm cause of death

From Arson to Armed Assault: A Dangerous Escalation

Matthew J. Masse’s violent rampage didn’t begin on Saturday. Two days earlier, on Thursday, April 2, police had issued felony warrants for his arrest after he allegedly attempted to burn down his family’s home. Raymond Police Chief Michael Labell confirmed officers had been working around the clock since Thursday, deploying special operations teams on Friday with no success. The failed arson attempt should have served as a red flag, the kind of escalating behavior that transforms domestic disputes into deadly encounters. Instead, Masse remained at large, armed, and increasingly desperate until Saturday’s explosion of violence.

Rifle Fire from a Second-Story Window

Around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, police responded to reports of shots fired at a home on Ham Road in Raymond. Masse had positioned himself at a second-floor window, firing a rifle at family members below before turning his weapon on arriving officers. A Nottingham Police Department officer took fire and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, requiring hospitalization. The brazen attack on law enforcement, combined with the family violence, immediately elevated the threat level. Masse then fled on foot into the surrounding woods, exploiting the rural terrain near the Nottingham border to evade the initial police response.

Tactical Response Across Wooded Terrain

The manhunt mobilized resources from New Hampshire State Police, Raymond Police Department, and multiple tactical units equipped with K-9 teams. Authorities established a perimeter around the Ham Road and Nottingham Road areas, issuing shelter-in-place orders that locked down the small community. Rural New Hampshire’s dense forests provided Masse temporary cover, but the same terrain allowed police to contain his movement. Major Brendan Davey of the State Police coordinated search operations as darkness fell, with officers methodically sweeping grid patterns through the woods. The multi-agency coordination demonstrated the seriousness of the threat: an armed suspect who had already demonstrated willingness to shoot police officers.

Fatal Confrontation in the Dark

At approximately 10:06 p.m., officers located Masse in the woods. When they attempted to arrest him, he opened fire on police, who returned fire according to State Police statements. Masse was struck and found dead at the scene, his long gun recovered nearby. The AG’s office confirmed an exchange of gunfire occurred, following standard protocol for officer-involved shootings. No other officers or civilians sustained injuries in the final confrontation. The swift conclusion prevented what could have stretched into a multi-day manhunt, sparing the community extended fear and disruption while minimizing risk to additional officers or residents.

Unanswered Questions and Standard Procedures

Attorney General John Formella immediately launched an investigation into the shooting, withholding officer identities pending formal interviews as per protocol. An autopsy was scheduled for early in the week to officially confirm the cause and manner of Masse’s death, though gunfire wounds appeared obvious. Masse’s mother spoke briefly with media, though details of her statements remained limited in official reports. The motive behind Masse’s escalating violence, from attempted arson to family assault to officer ambush, remains under investigation. What drives a man to fire on his own family and then law enforcement within a 48-hour window speaks to failures in identifying and intervening in domestic violence before it explodes into community-wide danger.

Small-Town Terror and Law Enforcement Lessons

Raymond, a quiet town in Rockingham County, experienced the kind of violence typically associated with urban areas. Residents endured hours of lockdown, unable to leave their homes while an armed suspect roamed nearby woods. The injured officer faces recovery from wounds sustained simply for responding to a domestic call, the most dangerous type of police work. Chief Labell’s acknowledgment that his department had been working feverishly since Thursday’s arson attempt underscores the challenge of apprehending suspects in rural terrain who know the landscape. This incident will likely inform future training on domestic violence escalation and tactical response in wooded areas, where traditional urban policing strategies fall short.