No one injured in Franklin Tuesday after gunshot goes through apartment window

FRANKLIN — An armed Salisbury man allegedly tried to confront someone at their Central Street apartment after receiving counterfeit money. Police say a passerby who saw the incident tackled the armed man, and took away his gun.

Kenneth Legro, 72, was charged July 7 with reckless conduct, criminal threatening with a gun, and possession of methamphetamine, all felonies.

During the altercation, Legro fired through the apartment window, but the only injuries reported were minor cuts Legro got from the scuffle.

At about 11:51 p.m. on Tuesday, city police received a report about shots fired on Central Street, which sent three officers to the residence.

Officer Jeffrey King stated in a sworn affidavit he was working the midnight shift when dispatch told him shots were fired. He and two other officers went to the apartment building on Central Street, to find Legro with cuts on his forehead and left arm. Legro told police he was assaulted and thrown to the ground by an unknown man.

“Legro advised that the unknown male had taken his handgun, which Legro admitted having drawn from his holster before the altercation turned physical,” King stated. “Legro described the handgun as a Chinese made .45 caliber semi-automatic.”

The investigation led police to determining Legro had before gone to the apartment to confront its occupants about counterfeit money.

Police Chief Daniel Poirier said someone walking by saw Legro knocking on the Central Street apartment door, and saw him was holding a semi-automatic 45-caliber handgun behind his back. Poirier said there was a physical altercation between the two, and during the struggle, the gun went off, sending a bullet through the window. Nobody was injured by the gunshot.

“Legro admitted that the gun went off during the physical altercation and that he was upset about being given some counterfeit money,” King stated in the affidavit.

According to information provided by police, officers quickly found the passerby had gone to nearby Cumberland Farms. Police spoke with him, and he told officers what happened.

The passerby, who was uninjured, was not a resident of the apartment. He police he asked Legro what he was doing, and Legro allegedly turned and pointed the gun at him. He knocked Legro to the ground, disarmed him, took the handgun, and left.

“He said, ‘what are you going to do with that gun,’ and he got the gun away from him,” Poirier said. “Who knows what would have happened if he answered the door.”

Poirier did not say if the residents at the Central Street apartment came outside, but according to the affidavit, a resident said Legro shot the gun. Court records show there was damage to the front window of the apartment, and a bullet hole was discovered in the glass, and the wall.

The passerby put the handgun on the ground just west of the building, and brought police there so it could be recovered. The gun, a Norinco 1911A1 semi-automatic handgun, was loaded, and a spent shell casing was in the slide. Legro was taken into custody outside the apartment, and brought to Franklin Police Department for booking.

Police found a small plastic baggie containing what appeared to be meth in the coin pocket of Legro’s shorts during a search.

Court records show the criminal threatening charge was due to placing someone in “fear of imminent bodily injury” by pointing a handgun at them. The reckless conduct with a deadly weapon charge was filed as officers say he placed others in danger by firing the handgun into an occupied residence.

It is unclear how Legro came across the counterfeit money, but Poirier said this is fairly common in the city, and over the years has usually involved the same people.

“There has been some counterfeit money going around the city,” Poirier said. “It kind of comes in waves.”

Poirier said counterfeit bills in the past were fairly hard to differentiate from real currency, but what he has seen lately has been fake money, with writing that states it's not real.

“The last few years, it is like funny money, and pretty easy to tell that it isn’t real,” Poirier said.

The investigation into the alleged counterfeit money is ongoing.

Poirier said if anyone discovers currency they think may not be real, they shouldn't take matters into their own hands, but should instead call the police, and let officers investigate.

Franklin Police said in a press release they were fortunate the incident happened when there were three officers on duty, as there was one officer working overtime to complete required paperwork.

“The department continues to face significant staffing shortages,” the release states. “Officers are consistently working considerable amounts of overtime every week to keep up with the minimum staffing level of two officers a shift. The Franklin Police Department remains committed to providing professional, timely, and safe responses to all emergencies.”

Legro refused to post bail, and was read his charges during a video hearing in Franklin District Court on Wednesday. Legro entered no plea to all three charges.

Legro is being held at Merrimack County Jail, and a probable cause hearing in the case has been scheduled for Monday, July 13, in Franklin District Court.