Franklin fugitive almost shot by police when caught

By BEA LEWIS for THE LACONIA DAILY SUN

FRANKLIN — A prosecutor told a judge on Tuesday a Franklin police officer had his finger on the trigger and was prepared to shoot a suspect who had leveled a pistol at him, when another man walked into his line of fire.

"But for another individual coming in between, Mr. Brouillard may not have been here today," Franklin Police Prosecutor Chris Ahern said of the white-knuckle escape.

Ryan Philip Brouillard, 33, formerly of 21 Pleasant St., Apt. #3, Franklin, was ordered held on $251,000 cash only bail following his Tuesday morning arraignment in the 6th Circuit, District Division, Franklin Court.

He has been charged him with two counts of criminal threatening accusing him of pointing a Glock semi-automatic pistol at Franklin Police Sgt. Eric Drouin and Tilton Officer Abraham Gilman and saying he would shoot them.

Brouillard is also facing felony charges of reckless conduct for firing a handgun near Sgt. Drouin, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and driving after being declared a habitual offender. He is additionally charged with a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

The incident began in the early morning hours of Dec. 28 when police were called to respond to a noise complaint at 31 Pleasant Street in Franklin.

Franklin Police Officer David Gotthardt and Sgt. Drouin went to the beige apartment building, just a few houses up the hill from the intersection with Central Street about 2:18 a.m. Officer Gotthardt knocked at the door and spoke with Brittney Kearney, 28, who told him that Alexander Bell, 42, and Brouillard had just been at the residence. As the officers knew Brouillard was wanted for violating parole and that Plymouth police had issued a warrant for his arrest, they began looking for him.

As Bell lived at 320 Prospect St., across from Mojalaki Country Club, Officer Gotthardt went there and could see both Bell and Brouillard inside and radioed Sgt. Drouin, who called for backup.

Meanwhile, Brouillard opened the front door, looked out and, using vulgarity, indicated that he knew police were on the property. Sgt. Drouin stepped out from behind a parked vehicle, and "illuminated Brouillard with my flashlight and pistol." Brouillard ignored a command to put his hands up and instead stepped back inside and slammed the door.

According to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant, Sgt. Drouin went to the southwest corner of the house as Tilton Police Officer Abraham Gilman arrived and began walking up the steep driveway, and heard what sounded like a gunshot. Drouin began heading toward Officer Gotthardt's position on the southeast corner when he heard him make a radio transmission but was unable to make it out.

Brouillard had apparently fled out the back of the house and encountered Officer Gotthardt, who ordered him to the ground to no avail. Gotthardt attempted to Taser the suspect, but the device failed to deploy and Brouillard retreated back inside the house.

As Officer Gilman repeatedly yelled for occupants of the house to come out with their hands up, Sgt. Drouin reported the occupants were yelling and screaming, asking what was going on, and why police were there.

Bell and Shannon Lundy, 31, who also live at the residence, came out with their hands up. Brouillard appeared in the doorway and Sgt. Drouin said the suspect lifted his right hand but that a curtain on the door made the officer unable to tell what was in the suspect's hand. But when Brouillard pulled the curtain away, Sgt. Drouin said he spotted a black grip and a silver colored slide of what appeared to be a Glock pistol. Sgt. Drouin aimed his pistol at Brouillard, identified himself as a police officer and ordered the suspect to drop the gun and put his hands up.

Brouillard responded by pointing his pistol at Drouin and saying that he was going to shoot the police and kill anyone who tried to arrest him before retreating back into the house.

Bell and Lundy got into a truck parked in the driveway behind Sgt. Drouin as Brouillard again approached the door and raised the gun and allegedly began screaming that he was going to shoot the police and kill anyone who got in the way.

Sgt. Drouin again ordered him to drop the gun and put his hands in the air, but Brouillard leveled the gun at the officer. Drouin said he'd lined up his sights and had just begun to pull the trigger on his service pistol when he spotted Bell walking into the line of fire. Bell's body blocked the doorway and he pushed Brouillard back inside while telling him "he wasn't going to do that (shit) at his place."

Brouillard was able to flee from the back of the house and jump a fence and as Drouin pursued and Brouillard tried to negotiate another fence, Drouin reported hearing a second shot, but said he was unable to see if it was fired at him or Officer Gotthardt, or if the gun went off as the suspect was running away.

There was no moon, or outside lights. The sole illumination, according to Drouin, was his flashlight and the weapon light on his pistol.

Following a three-day manhunt, Brouillard was discovered in a mobile home off Manchester Street in Concord, and after a 3.5-hour standoff involving some 20 police officers and two BearCat armored vehicles, tear gas was deployed to force him to surrender.

During the standoff, Brouillard repeatedly said he was going to kill the police, the prosecutor told Judge Edward Gordon. In asking for high cash bail, the prosecutor recounted Brouillard's lengthy criminal history which had resulted in him twice serving state prison sentences.

"Based on the allegations and your prior history I don't think the state's request is totally out of line," Judge Gordon said before bail at $50,000 on each of the five felony charges and $1,000 on the misdemeanor charge.

A probable cause hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 9 at 12:45 p.m. and a public defender has been assigned to represent Brouillard.

Ryan Brouillard was arraigned via video hook-up in the 6th Circuit, District Division Franklin Court on Tuesday from the Merrimack County jail where he remains held in lieu of $251,000 cash-only bail. (Bea Lewis/for The Laconia Daily Sun)

Judge Edward M. Gordon reads the five felony and one misdemeanor criminal complaint to defendant Ryan Brouillard when the suspect was arraigned on Tuesday. (Bea Lewis/for The Laconia Daily Sun)