Father, son accused of shooting at repossessors trying to tow vehicle in Franklin

FRANKLIN — A father and son were charged after allegedly firing gunshots at two repossession workers attempting to tow a vehicle from a Smith Hill Road residence early Friday morning.

Justin Renfrew, 41, of Franklin, was charged with two felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, and two felony counts of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon.

James Renfrew, 74, of Franklin, was charged with two felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon.

Franklin Police officers, along with the Franklin Special Response Team, responded to 267 Smith Hill with weapons drawn after receiving a report of shots fired outside the home at about 2:44 a.m. on Nov. 6.

“There was an indication that shots had been fired,” Chief Dan Poirier said. “The officers surrounded the residence.”

Poirier said a “surrounding call” was made to the people inside the home, and “all four” residents came out. He did not identify the other two residents, or their involvement. Poirier said the Renfrews lived at the Smith Hill home.

James Renfrew is accused of recklessly discharging a 9 mm handgun “into the air” outside the residence while two men were “attempting to repossess a motor vehicle,” according to complaints filed with Franklin District Court.

The complaints filed against Justin Renfrew state he “discharged a handgun toward the direction” of both workers.

“There were two people outside as the shots were being fired,” Poirier said.

A sworn affidavit by Patrol Officer Jeremy Sullivan states he responded to the property after a report of two people trying to repossess a vehicle being shot at. Dispatch told him they were behind a tow truck, behind the house.

Court documents show one of the victims said they were working for a repossession company along with the other. They said they were at the back of the residence attempting to tow the vehicle, and told police a man wearing an orange-colored T-shirt approached and “fired multiple rounds at them with a handgun.”

The document states after they were shot at, the man in orange went back inside. They then saw a green laser being pointed in their direction, which they believed to be from a rifle. The laser was also seen by responding officers.

Upon arrival, Sullivan saw the tow truck and a green laser being pointed toward it.

“Based on my training and experience, I recognized the characteristics of the laser as being consistent with those of a firearm-mounted laser aiming device,” Sullivan stated in the report. “Such devices are commonly affixed to firearms to assist the operator in aiming at an intended target.”

Sullivan and Sgt. Jonathan Francis made their way through a neighbor’s yard to the backyard of 267 Smith Hill, where they located the victims. The workers told Francis they were wearing their own body cameras during the incident, and were shot at by people inside the house, while they were trying to repossess the vehicle.

One of the victims left the property, and Francis and Sullivan secured the scene while they waited for backup.

Additional units arrived, and then made announcements for people to come out of the house. The man in orange was identified as Justin Renfrew, who denied “shooting at the truck.”

Poirier said once the Renfrews were outside, they were taken into custody with no issues.

The affidavit states Sgt. Kent Matthews arrived on the scene and spoke with James, and the interviews were captured on body camera. James admitted to seeing the truck pull behind the house, and because he didn’t recognize the vehicle, he got a 9 mm handgun and fired a “single shot into the air” behind the residence. He also admitted to pointing the laser at the truck.

James Renfrew was taken to the Merrimack House of Corrections. When he was being booked, two 9 mm bullets were found in his pocket.

Sullivan later reviewed the body camera footage provided by the victims, and could see them hiding behind the truck, and multiple gun shots were heard.

Both victims "appeared to fear for their safety during this encounter,” Sullivan said.

The Renfrews were taken into custody around 4 a.m., and Poirier said this caused a shelter-in-place order for the area, which was sent out through their Nixle alert system. The order was lifted shortly after.

“It took some time,” Poirier said. “That is why the shelter in place was put into effect, to give them time to get out of the residence.”

Franklin Police shared a press release on social media just before 10 a.m. He said given the hour of the day, and the fact officers needed to work the scene, the Nixle system was the preferred method to notify the public, rather than social media.

While there was chatter on social media from worried residents, Poirier said Friday the department hadn’t received many calls.

“There have been people who called to ask, but not a lot of people,” Poirier said, noting multiple news agencies had reached out.

“There is no more danger to the public. The threat has been taken care of.”

Poirier said police were processing the scene, and served a search warrant, on Friday morning.

Poirier declined to comment on specifcs, including whether the Renfrews are known to police.

“I can’t get quite into it yet,” Poirier said. “It’s still under investigation.”

Court records show both Renfrews have been charged previously, with case files for James Renfrew dating back to 1989, and Justin Renfrew since 2002. Court officers noted the Renfrews may not have been convicted of all charges, as some may have been dropped.

Franklin Police was assisted by responding officers from Alexandria, Bristol, Tilton, and State Police.

The Renfrews were read their charges during a video arraignment on Friday morning in Franklin District Court. They are both held in Merrimack County House of Corrections, and Poirier said the judge is considering bail.