Person killed by State Police identified as owner of Plymouth inn

PLYMOUTH — Kevin Steinfeldt, owner of the Federal House Inn, has been identified as the victim of a police shooting at his bed and breakfast last week.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella's office said Steinfeldt, 58, of Plymouth, was identified following the notification of next of kin on Tuesday afternoon. An autopsy was conducted Nov. 7 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The cause and manner of his death remains pending following further testing from the autopsy, Formella's office wrote in a press release. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation and further information is expected to be released as it is available. 

Officers from the Plymouth Police Department responded to the Federal House Inn at 27 Route 25 after a disturbance was reported at 2:40 p.m. on Nov. 6. Officers who arrived at the scene reported hearing sounds consistent with gunshots coming from the interior of the residence and Steinfeldt had barricaded himself inside.

A SWAT unit and the New Hampshire State Police Crisis Negotiation Team arrived to provide assistance to Plymouth police and, over the course of several hours, were able to communicate with Steinfeldt, who was armed with a long gun and who they identified as the individual involved in the reported disturbance.

Before 1 a.m. Thursday morning, SWAT officers said over the radio they’d fired on Steinfeldt and, upon entering the building, found him near a first-floor doorway suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Department of Justice press release said six state police officers fired their weapons during the shooting. Pursuant to department protocol, the names of those six troopers are being withheld pending the conclusion of formal interviews.

None of the officers were injured.