Carl Drega and the 1997 Colebrook Shooting Rampage
Background
Carl Drega was a 62-year-old resident of Columbia, New Hampshire, when he carried out a deadly shooting rampage on August 19, 1997. During a series of attacks in Colebrook, New Hampshire, and Bloomfield, Vermont, Drega killed four people and wounded four law enforcement officers. The dead included two New Hampshire state troopers, a district court judge and a local newspaper editor.
The violence followed years of increasingly bitter disputes between Drega and local or state officials. Much of the conflict concerned his property along the Connecticut River in Columbia. Drega believed government employees were unfairly interfering with his land, construction work and property rights. Officials, however, maintained that he had violated building, environmental and taxation regulations.
Over time, Drega became openly hostile toward public employees and law enforcement officers. He filed complaints, sent angry correspondence and allegedly threatened people connected to his disputes. Those who dealt with him increasingly regarded him as unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
Property Disputes and Growing Hostility
Drega owned property on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River. During the early 1980s, erosion reportedly damaged part of the riverbank near his home. Drega brought in soil and other material to rebuild the bank, but state officials contended that his work affected protected waterways and may have altered the riverbank without authorization.
Additional disputes developed over building codes, taxes and inspections. Drega resented officials entering or examining his property. In 1995, Columbia selectwoman and district court judge Vickie Bunnell accompanied a tax assessor to Drega's land. During that encounter, Drega reportedly fired a gun into the air, causing the officials to leave.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, Drega was not imprisoned. He continued preparing for what appeared to be an anticipated confrontation. Authorities later learned that he had acquired a Colt AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, ammunition and body armor. He also installed motion detectors and other warning devices around his property.
The Traffic Stop in Colebrook
At approximately 2:30 p.m. on August 19, 1997, New Hampshire State Police Trooper Scott Phillips encountered Drega in the parking lot of LaPerle's IGA supermarket in Colebrook. Phillips reportedly stopped to address the unsafe condition of Drega's pickup truck, which had extensive rust and vehicle-equipment problems.
The encounter rapidly turned violent. Drega retrieved his rifle and opened fire on Phillips. Although wounded, Phillips returned fire and attempted to move away from the parking lot into a nearby field. Drega pursued him and continued shooting, killing the trooper.
Trooper Leslie Lord arrived moments later in response to the emergency. Drega fired from a distance before Lord could effectively leave his patrol vehicle or take cover. Lord was struck and killed in or near his cruiser.
Drega then took Phillips' state police cruiser and drove away from the supermarket. By stealing the marked vehicle, he was able to travel through the area while armed and initially appeared from a distance to be a police officer responding to the developing emergency.
The Attack at the Colebrook News and Sentinel
Drega drove to the building that housed the Colebrook News and Sentinel newspaper and the office used by Colebrook District Court Judge Vickie Bunnell. Bunnell was one of the officials with whom Drega had previously clashed over his Columbia property.
When Bunnell saw Drega approaching with a rifle, she recognized the danger and attempted to warn others inside the building. She reportedly urged employees to leave as she ran toward an exit. Drega fired at her from outside or near the entrance, striking her in the back and killing her.
Dennis Joos, the editor of the Colebrook News and Sentinel, confronted Drega after Bunnell was shot. Joos attempted to stop or disarm him. During the struggle, Drega shot Joos and killed him. Joos' intervention gave other people inside the building additional time to escape.
Victims Killed on August 19, 1997
- Trooper Scott E. Phillips — Killed on August 19, 1997, near LaPerle's IGA supermarket in Colebrook, New Hampshire. Phillips was shot during the initial confrontation and was pursued into a nearby field.
- Trooper Leslie G. Lord — Killed on August 19, 1997, in the supermarket parking area in Colebrook, New Hampshire. Lord was shot shortly after arriving to assist Phillips.
- Judge Vickie Bunnell — Killed on August 19, 1997, at the Colebrook News and Sentinel building in Colebrook, New Hampshire. Bunnell was attempting to warn others and escape when Drega shot her.
- Dennis Joos — Killed on August 19, 1997, at the Colebrook News and Sentinel building in Colebrook, New Hampshire. Joos was shot while attempting to confront and disarm Drega.
Return to the Columbia Property
After killing Bunnell and Joos, Drega returned to his property in Columbia. He set fire to his house, apparently intending to destroy the residence and materials inside. Investigators later found firearms, ammunition, explosives and warning systems on the property.
Reports following the attack indicated that dangerous explosive devices had been placed around or inside the residence. Bomb technicians and investigators had to approach the burned property cautiously. The preparations reinforced the belief that Drega had anticipated a violent confrontation and had taken deliberate steps to resist authorities.
Flight into Vermont
New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer Wayne Saunders encountered Drega while Drega was still driving the stolen police cruiser. Drega crossed the Connecticut River into Bloomfield, Vermont, and attacked Saunders.
Drega fired repeatedly into Saunders' vehicle. Saunders was wounded in the arm and shoulder. One bullet reportedly struck his badge, helping prevent a potentially fatal injury. While attempting to escape the gunfire, Saunders drove backward and his vehicle entered or came to rest near the Connecticut River.
Drega abandoned the stolen cruiser and moved into a wooded area near a dead-end road in Bloomfield. He selected a concealed position that gave him a tactical advantage over officers entering the area. Police officers, state troopers, federal agents and game wardens began converging on the location.
The Bloomfield Ambush
As officers searched for him, Drega opened fire from concealment. New Hampshire State Police Trooper Jeffrey Caulder was shot in the lower abdomen. Trooper Robert Haase was wounded in the foot. United States Border Patrol Agent John Pfeifer was struck in the chest and seriously wounded.
The gunfire pinned down officers and complicated efforts to rescue the injured. When officers attempted to bring a vehicle forward to evacuate Pfeifer, Drega resumed firing, forcing them to withdraw or seek cover.
The confrontation developed into an extended gun battle in the wooded terrain. Drega was armed with a semiautomatic rifle and had positioned himself behind natural cover. Officers had difficulty determining his precise location while also trying to protect and evacuate the wounded.
Law Enforcement Officers Wounded
- Conservation Officer Wayne Saunders — Wounded on August 19, 1997, near the Connecticut River after Drega crossed from New Hampshire into Bloomfield, Vermont.
- Trooper Jeffrey Caulder — Shot in the lower abdomen on August 19, 1997, during the wooded ambush in Bloomfield, Vermont.
- Trooper Robert Haase — Shot in the foot on August 19, 1997, during the Bloomfield confrontation.
- Border Patrol Agent John Pfeifer — Shot in the chest and seriously wounded on August 19, 1997, while responding to the manhunt in Bloomfield, Vermont.
Death of Carl Drega
New Hampshire State Police Trooper Charles West and United States Border Patrol Agent Stephen Brooks eventually advanced toward Drega's position. As Drega emerged from behind a tree and prepared to fire again, Brooks fired an M14 rifle and West fired a shotgun.
Drega was struck and killed at the scene in Bloomfield on August 19, 1997. His death ended a rampage that had begun only hours earlier in Colebrook. Four victims were dead, four officers were wounded and communities on both sides of the New Hampshire-Vermont border were left shaken.
Investigation and Aftermath
The investigation concluded that Drega's attacks were rooted in his longstanding hostility toward government officials and law enforcement. Although the initial confrontation occurred during a vehicle stop, his possession of body armor, a rifle, large quantities of ammunition and defensive preparations at his property indicated that he had been preparing for serious violence.
The shootings prompted extensive examination of how threats against judges, police officers and municipal employees were documented and communicated. Several people involved in Drega's earlier disputes had recognized that he presented a danger, but the available information had not resulted in measures capable of preventing the attack.
The events also demonstrated the risks officers face when agencies from different jurisdictions respond to a rapidly moving armed attacker. The rampage crossed a state boundary and involved state police, local authorities, conservation officers and federal Border Patrol agents.
Remembering the Victims
The four people killed were remembered for their public service and their efforts to protect others. Troopers Scott Phillips and Leslie Lord died while responding to what began as a routine law enforcement encounter. Judge Vickie Bunnell used her final moments to alert people around her to the approaching danger. Dennis Joos attempted to physically stop the gunman after Bunnell was attacked.
Sections of United States Route 3 in northern New Hampshire were later dedicated to Troopers Phillips and Lord. The stretch between Colebrook and North Stratford was named the Trooper Scott E. Phillips Highway, while the roadway between Colebrook and Pittsburg was named the Trooper Leslie G. Lord Highway.
A conservation area known as the Vickie Bunnell Preserve was established in Columbia, and a memorial honoring all four victims was placed near the Colebrook News and Sentinel building. The memorial recognizes Scott Phillips, Leslie Lord, Vickie Bunnell and Dennis Joos as individuals whose actions and service became a permanent part of the community's history.
