In the pre-dawn hours of October 16, 2006, Manchester Police Officer Michael Leland Briggs, a 35-year-old Caucasian male, was nearing the end of his bicycle patrol shift. A United States Marine Corps veteran and a respected five-year member of the department, Briggs and his partner responded to a domestic disturbance call involving reports of shots fired. While investigating, they encountered a man in an alley near the corner of Lake Avenue and Lincoln Street.
As Officer Briggs began to question him, the man, without warning, produced a pistol and fired a single shot, striking the officer in the head. His own service weapon remained holstered.
Briggs was rushed to Elliot Hospital, where he fought for his life. The following day, October 17, 2006, he succumbed to the devastating injury. His death marked the first time a Manchester police officer had been killed in the line of duty in three decades. The incident sent shockwaves through the community and left behind his wife and two young sons. In a tragic and bizarre twist of fate, it was later revealed that Officer Briggs had saved the life of his killer following a different shooting incident just three years prior.
The shooter, identified as 26-year-old Michael Addison, immediately fled the scene, sparking a large-scale manhunt. He managed to cross state lines, seeking refuge at his grandmother's home in Dorchester, Massachusetts. However, his freedom was short-lived. Later that same day, authorities tracked him to the residence and took him into custody. Addison was initially charged as a fugitive from justice before being extradited back to New Hampshire to face charges for the murder of Officer Briggs.
In November 2008, a jury found Michael Addison guilty of capital murder. The trial revealed that Addison had been involved in a series of violent crimes in the week leading up to the shooting and had told friends he would shoot a police officer rather than be arrested. Following the guilty verdict, the jury recommended the death penalty. The judge formally sentenced Addison to death, making him the sole occupant of New Hampshire's death row and marking the first death sentence in the state since 1959. His subsequent appeals were upheld by the state Supreme Court.
