Shooting To The Top
(Part I)
On October 22, 2011, Trooper Chad Lavoie had his first OIS (Officer Involved Shooting). This occurred in Pelham after a two-state pursuit that involved officers from multiple agencies. The suspect was a despondent man named Alberto Pagan. At the conclusion of the pursuit, Pagan began waving a pistol around, pointing it at officers’ multiple times and challenging them to shoot him. (See #Receipts) In response to this clear threat, Lavoie shot Pagan. Other officers then fired as well. As far as shoots go, this one was about as justified as it gets. That is not the problem. The problem is how the Division of State Police responded.
The following April and May, the Division held annual Spring firearms qualifications. These qualifications consisted of classroom instruction, where applicable policies and laws would be discussed, and then actual range time. Troopers attending this classroom session referred to it as, “The Chad Lavoie Show.” Chad spoke to each firearms class about his shoot. Specifically, he talked about how the local officers initially failed to engage Pagan, and how he showed up at the last minute to save the day. For those attending, it was odd and uncomfortable to hear a fellow Trooper brag on himself about a shooting. Modesty was not part of the lesson plan.
Only two years later, Trooper Lavoie would be involved in yet another fatal shooting. On September 30, 2013, a woman named Wendy Lawrence was stopped for speed and erratic operation on Interstate 89, by Trooper Kevin Leblanc. Upon being stopped, Ms. Lawrence produced a Non-Driver I.D card for the Trooper. Trooper Leblanc returned to his car and ran her record. While doing so, Ms. Lawrence fled the scene. Trooper Leblanc then learned that she was not only suspended, but a habitual offender. An arrest would likely result in prison time. Leblanc initiated a pursuit but quickly called it off given that he was holding Lawrence’s ID and her speed was becoming dangerous. Lawrence was a local from Canterbury. She could always be arrested on a warrant later.
After disengaging, Leblanc continued south on 89 and located Lawrence’s car, around, Exit 1. She had apparently spun out. As Leblanc pulled up, Lawrence fled again. This time she almost ran over a pedestrian who was trying to check on Lawrence. Given the reckless nature of operation, Leblanc was authorized to re-engage.
Lawrence continued onto Interstate 93 southbound. Leblanc followed and other units converged. In Manchester, Lawrence exited the Interstate. The pursuit was then called off as Lawrence had entered a densely populated neighborhood, and the level of offense was still not very high. All units turned off their emergency lights and sirens but continued to follow Lawrence, who was now operating her vehicle at the speed limit and in a lawful, safe manner.
As Lawrence drove through this residential area of Manchester, the units following called out their location. Trooper Chad Lavoie heard this radio traffic and began working his way to where he anticipated Lawrence would be driving. The convoy of Troopers behind Lawrence’s Monte Carlo made their way up Dave Street. As Lawrence approached the stop sign at the intersection with Kennard Rd., Lavoie raced up Kennard Rd. with his lights on and pulled directly in front of her car.
The initial reports released by State Police Officials claimed that Lawrence “rammed” Lavoie’s cruiser to flee, then backed into Trooper Leblanc’s cruiser. Lawrence then sped forward again, directly at Lavoie. As she did, Lavoie (who had since exited his cruiser) ordered her to stop. When she did not, he feared he would be run over. He drew his pistol and fired at Lawrence, killing her. (See Concord Monitor Article on Lawrence Shooting.) At least this is the original “story.” Based on this, the Attorney General determined the shooting was justified. But was it really?
The determination that Lavoie was justified in shooting and killing Wendy Lawrence was made in a report that was released on October 15, 2013…only two weeks after the shooting. (See NHPR article showing AG cleared Lavoie) This was an unbelievably short period for the Department of Justice to arrive at such a conclusion. Most reports on officer involved shootings take months to be issued. Not surprisingly, the actual report is no longer available on the DOJ website. The link to it, which was provided in the online NHPR article is:
While we no longer have access to the actual report, we do have excerpts from the report that were included in the Concord Monitor article. They echo the statements made immediately after the incident: Lawrence rammed Lavoie’s cruiser, then backed up and struck Leblanc’s cruiser, then accelerated forward, directly at Lavoie, who shot Lawrence to keep from being run over. (See Concord Monitor Article.)
After the shooting and the rush to clear Lavoie by the DOJ, Wendy Lawrence’s family brought a lawsuit against Lavoie. Then, the real investigation began...
Lawrence’s family hired a reconstructionist to look at the vehicles, the scene photos, and the damage. The conclusion drawn by this expert was that Lavoie struck Lawrence, not the other way around. Read that again. Trooper Chad Lavoie hit Wendy Lawrence’s Monte Carlo with his cruiser as he pulled up to the intersection with Dave Street. This is a fact. In the opinion issued by Federal Judge Paul Barbadoro on Lavoie’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Lavoie STIPULATES that he struck Lawrence, and that she NEVER struck him or his cruiser. In fact, Lawrence’s car was STATIONARY for approximately 5 seconds before Lavoie struck it. Furthermore, there was no evidence that Lawrence struck Trooper Leblanc’s cruiser as she backed up after Lavoie crashed into her, and Lavoie stipulates to that fact as well. (See attached Opinion by Federal Judge Paul Barbadoro)
The only question was whether Lawrence was driving forward as Lavoie fired upon her. In the opinion of the Court, if Lawrence was moving forward, it was at such a slow speed Lavoie could have easily stepped out of the way. In any case, the Court stated: “Accordingly, a reasonable officer in Lavoie's position would have recognized the unlawfulness of using deadly force in those circumstances.” (See attached Opinion by Federal Judge Paul Barbadoro.)
On its face, Lavoie’s story should have raised significant questions. Lavoie originally claimed that Lawrence struck his cruiser, shifted into reverse, backed into Leblanc’s cruiser, shifted into drive, and lurched forward directly at him. When one reviews the cruiser camera video, (See attached link for video) we do not see the shooting. What we do see is Lavoie’s cruiser suddenly appear at the intersection of Kennard Rd. and Dave Street. Then we hear 11 shots fired, beginning approximately 10 seconds after Lavoie’s cruiser arrives on scene. According to Lavoie, Lawrence completed all the above actions in less than 10 seconds. All the DOJ had to do was review the cruiser camera video and they would have known Lavoie’s story was suspect. Furthermore, Lavoie claimed he was about 4 feet from Lawrence’s car when he shot. The three other Troopers on scene all stated Lavoie was approximately 10 yards (30 feet) from her. Big difference.
Another fact not fully revealed by the video was that Trooper Tibbits was attempting to pull Lawrence from the car when Lavoie started shooting. Tibbits was no more than approximately 3 feet from Lawrence as Lavoie fired all 11 rounds from his pistol. This action clearly placed Trooper Tibbits in danger of friendly fire, especially when one considers only 4 of those rounds struck Lawrence.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Division conducted its own investigation. This was to determine if Lavoie had violated any policies during this event. A review of the Division’s Professional Standards of Conduct reveals multiple policies that appear to have been blatantly disregarded by Lavoie. These would include, but are not limited to the following: (See attached PSC’s)
PSC 41-GA.2.1 – Deciding whether to pursue… Given that Lawrence was 1. Identified, 2. Had not committed a violent felony, 3. Had driven into a densely populated area, the need to apprehend Lawrence did not exceed the need to protect life, including that of Lawrence.
PSC 41-GA.2.2 – Termination of Pursuits… “The pursuing Division Member SHALL terminate a pursuit if…instructed to do so by a supervisor, or if the violator’s identity is known.” Lt. Shapiro ordered the pursuit terminated twice. Additionally, Trooper Leblanc was holding Lawrence’s ID, and all responding units knew that.
PSC 41-GA.2.4. #8 – Roadblocks – Roadblocks must only be deployed as a last resort in circumstances where deadly force would otherwise be justified. They must be authorized by a supervisor, and they must provide an avenue of escape. Likewise, “Boxing In” of a vehicle is to be done only in response to an imminent threat to life. Lavoie complied with none of these requirements.
PSC 41-L.2.1 – Use of Lethal Force – “A Division Member is justified in using deadly force only when he reasonably believes such force necessary to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes is the imminent use of deadly force.” Judge Paul Barbadoro found there was nothing “reasonable” about Lavoie’s actions.
Sources close to the Division have told RobbiLeaks that a high-ranking Division Member on the Shoot Review Team did not think Lavoie’s shoot was justified. That member of the Shoot Review Team was allegedly removed, and another, more sympathetic member was brought in. The result? Lavoie was cleared by the Division as well. Who orchestrated this move? Then Colonel, Bob Quinn.
In the end, the State of New Hampshire paid $750,000 to the estate of Wendy Lawrence to settle the lawsuit. Chad Lavoie’s actions cost the State three quarters of a million dollars, and more significantly, Wendy Lawrence her life.
Inexplicably, the Department of Justice cleared Lavoie of any wrongdoing, despite a mountain of incriminating evidence. In essence, they sprinted to clear him so they could get their “narrative” out, even though it was a lie. They were more than happy to issue statements about Wendy Lawrence’s history and the fact that she had drugs and alcohol in her system. (See WMUR article) However, they never managed to issue a press release on what really happened. Odd, huh? The DOJ claims they fight corruption. If they really want to find it, they might start by looking in that big piece of shiny glass hanging over the bathroom sink.
The one “positive” in this whole episode is that two different government agencies showed great collaborative efforts: The Department of Justice and the Division of State Police worked together to cover this up.
What became of Chad Lavoie after he executed Wendy Lawrence for the crime of “contempt of cop?” He was promoted…not once, or twice, but FOUR TIMES. He is now a Major. Major Chad Lavoie slammed his cruiser into a woman’s car, got out, shot at her 11 times, striking her 4 times, killing her. He then lied in his original statement, shifting the blame for the collision on Lawrence. (Only after forensic evidence proved otherwise did Lavoie have to admit he struck Lawrence.) Finally, he cost the State of New Hampshire $750,000 for his trigger-happy incompetence. In response, Commissioner Bob Quinn and Colonel Nathan Noyes promoted Lavoie all the way to the top of the Division of State Police. The fact Lavoie is yet another member of the, “I vacation with the Colonel Club,” should not surprise anyone. Keep in mind the Division claims that “promotions will be based on merit.”
The New Hampshire State Police can proudly claim that two of its Majors have killed women under very suspicious circumstances. Executive Major Matthew Shapiro killed Tara Linehan in an at-fault, high speed crash while he was uninsured and having a rolling domestic argument, and Major Chad Lavoie flat out executed Wendy Lawrence for being a suspended driver.
Integrity, Fairness, Professionalism.
*Side note- It has come our attention that the Division of State Police held at least one impromptu Command Staff meeting specifically to discuss RobbiLeaks. The operative phrases used in the meeting were: “Circle the wagons” and “Weather the storm.” RobbiLeaks wishes them the very best of luck!
Digital Receipt of Non-Existent Record (copy and paste below in web browser)
https://www.doj.nh.gov/media-center/press-releases/2013/documents/20131015-state-police-involved-shooting-report.pdf
