I live in a small town in NH. I don’t have a security system, or an alarm on my house. In fact, growing up, my house was unlocked more often than not to allow the neighborhood kids in and out. Yes, my father had guns in the house, but they were more for recreation than protection and were locked away in the basement. We ran around my neighborhood playing kickball and flashlight tag, unsupervised until our mother’s called us home.
I grew up and live in a safe town that is dominating the news stations right now because a man is holed up in his house shooting police officers. Officers from the Greenland PD showed up at a house tonight to serve a search warrant, and now four of those officers are injured and one has passed away. One of those injured is Cheif of Police Officer Maloney, who was a few short weeks away from retiring.
There is no other word to define the situation than tragic. The channel 9 news anchor had it right when he said, “God help us all”. Five police officers are injured and one has passed away. Someone five minutes down the road from me lost his life tonight. I can’t wrap my mind around it. I’m watching the breaking news and press conferences and my heart is absolutely breaking for the family and friends of the injured officers. I’ve also double checked my locks 10 times, because apparently you’re never as safe as you think.
You never think that something like this will happen where you live, and to people you know. You think these sorts of tragedies and horrendous crimes happen in the big cities and the back alleyways, not in the small towns in cow-county NH, not where you live. I’ve driven by the house where this is all happening a million times. I can picture it perfectly. What I can’t imagine is how someone can bring themselves to open fire on police officers. The man in the cowboy hat who can’t get back into his house also had it right when he said, “this just doesn’t happen here. That sounds cliche, but its true. This doesn’t happen here”.
The whole neighborhood has been evacuated, and people are being told they just can’t go home. SWAT, FBI, and state troopers surround the house in Greenland, and police officers from around the state are at the Regional Hospital guarding their fallen brothers.
I can’t honestly wrap my head around the situation, nothing like this has ever happened in this safe, little town before. I’m writing this in an attempt to get my thoughts straight, and to express the absolute horror and overwhelming sadness I feel. I am so appalled, shocked, angry that something so ugly and terrible could happen in my little hometown. Portsmouth is like a picture perfect postcard set right against the beautiful backdrop of the Atlantic ocean. We don’t kill here. We’re a safe town with practically zero crime. We don’t kill cops here.
Please, all of you, stay safe tonight, and pray for the police men and women who are working and giving their lives to keep all of our small towns safe.
