On a summer night in Derry, New Hampshire, a confrontation turned deadly, leaving a 17-year-old aspiring boxer dead and another young man claiming self-defense. Cole Kinney, a Caucasian male from Lowell, Massachusetts, was fatally shot on July 20, 2016. The Derry Police Department responded to reports of a shooting on North Shore Road just before 11:30 p.m. and discovered Kinney with a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Despite the immediate medical attention, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner later ruled his death a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified 21-year-old Devin Rios of Derry as the individual who fired the fatal shot. The incident was not a random act of violence; it was the tragic culmination of a pre-arranged confrontation. The dispute reportedly stemmed from a conflict involving another individual, leading Kinney and a group of friends to drive to Rios's home on North Shore Road. An altercation ensued, during which Rios, who was armed with a handgun, shot Kinney.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Rios asserted that he had acted in self-defense. He cooperated with the investigation, and after a thorough review of the evidence and witness statements, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office concluded that Rios's account was credible. According to the official report, the evidence supported the claim that Rios was in reasonable fear for his life and safety during the altercation.
As a result of the investigation's findings, Devin Rios was not charged with the homicide of Cole Kinney. The Attorney General's Office determined that the shooting was justified under the state's self-defense laws. While the specter of other potential charges was initially raised, ultimately no criminal charges were filed against Rios in connection with the shooting incident. The case was officially closed, leaving a community to grapple with the loss of a young life and the complex legal and emotional aftermath of a violent encounter.
