Accused Gunman In Manchester, NH Police Shooting Held On $1M Bail
MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS/AP) — A judge set bail at $1 million on Thursday for a 22-year-old man charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a police officer in Manchester.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports.
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Police said Myles Webster of Litchfield is accused of shooting Officer Daniel Doherty, who was on duty Wednesday night, with a handgun on the city's West Side.
Prosecutor Maureen O'Neil said 15 rounds were fired, and that Webster "essentially emptied his weapon." Doherty suffered multiple gunshot wounds and underwent surgery at Catholic Medical Center. He remained hospitalized Thursday in serious, but stable condition.
Doherty's parents and numerous police officers attended Webster's arraignment. In January, Doherty and another officer were given an Honorable Service Award by the police department for preventing an armed robbery in November.
A police spokeswoman said Doherty's family did not want to comment following the arraignment.
"My thoughts and prayers, and those of my wife Susan, are with the officer and his entire family at this time," Gov. John Lynch said in a statement. "We pray for his quick and full recovery."
Defense attorney John Newman said the bail was excessive and prepared to challenge that at an April 4 hearing for Webster. Judge Gregory Michael agreed to the state's bail request based on Webster's criminal record and nature of the current offense.
According to federal court records, Webster pleaded guilty in October 2010 to a charge of conspiracy to make a false statement during a firearms purchase. Police said he tried to pay others to buy guns for him at Riley's Sport Shop in Hooksett and from Great Northern Sports Center in Derry. In 2011, he was accused of walking away from a residential re-entry center in Boston. He was sentenced to six months in prison. He was released from federal prison on Jan. 5.
In 2008, he was charged with an armed robbery in Manchester, but a Corrections Department spokesman said he had no background on the case.
Wednesday's shooting was believed to be the first shooting of an officer in the city since Michael Briggs was killed in the line of duty in 2006. In that case, Michael Addison was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2008 and was sentenced to death. His sentence is being appealed.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
