Armed Gilmanton resident dead after standoff in home, fire

GILMANTON — One person is dead after barricading themselves in a home on Province Road, armed with a gun, and eventually setting fire to the property Thursday. A shelter in place order was issued for a handful of hours as the situation unfolded.

The cause of death and identity of the deceased are unknown. The house burnt completely to its foundation.

Gilmanton Fire received a call around 12:45 p.m., on Thursday, to stage for police during a response to what seemed like a property dispute gone wrong. Firefighters originally arrived with an ambulance.

The deceased was not a resident of the home, but was staying on the property in a camper. According to Fire Chief Paul Hempel, the subject was asked to leave, resulting in “tension.”

The subject “started the fire and took off from law enforcement. That was the situation where they were searching,” Hempel said via phone on Friday.

Police issued a shelter-in-place notice on social media short of an hour later Thursday, while attempting to locate the subject.

Residents were urged to avoid Sawyer Lake and Province Road by a post on the Gilmanton Police Association Facebook page. Residents at home were encouraged to secure doors and windows while remaining indoors, and instructed not to investigate, and stay away from the area.

The shelter order lasted roughly 2.5 hours, and the road was closed.

Firefighters were staged and ready, waiting for Gilmanton police to evaluate the scene, to ensure first responder safety. Eventually, police confirmed the subject was deceased.

“The home became fully involved. [Police] made a positive ID that the subject was deceased. At that point, we moved in,” Hempel said.

The homeowner’s dog was also inside the residence, but officers believe it made an escape.

“The dog did escape the house. There have been sightings,” Hempel said.

After the house fire, a brush fire started around the property. It took firefighters several hours to stop it.

“Eventually, we got things under control, and had the scene secured around 8 o’clock,” Hempel said.

Neighboring community response was crucial on the scene.

“The mutual aid presence from both police and fire did a fantastic job under the circumstances,” he said. “We needed to not be up there with the threat of a subject with a gun. Our safety is first and foremost.”

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