AG Details Mistakes Made During Fatal Drug Raid In Greenland, NH
CONCORD, N.H. (CBS) - It was a sad chapter in New Hampshire history: the death of Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney during a drug raid in April.
Today the state's Attorney General released a report into what happened, and what went wrong.
"There were deficiencies in the planning and execution of this operation," said Attorney General Michael Delaney.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic Reports
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Releasing new pictures of the crime scene today, Attorney General Michael Delaney said mistakes were made: the senior commander of the team was on vacation; another leader arrived late to the final briefing because he had been on a security detail for Vice President Joe Biden; and the time of day was a problem with shadows making it difficult to see around 6 p.m.
The raid did not even have to happen that day.
"There were still four days remaining before that search warrant would have expired," said Delaney.
The report indicates that the drug team never determined if the suspect they were after, Cullen Mutrie, was even in the home until it was too late and Mutrie started firing. Officers also did not have a layout of the home's interior, and the team needed better equipment including ballistic helmets and shields, according to the report.
And the large wooden door officers needed to get through was so strong that it gave Mutrie plenty of time to prepare.
When it was all over, Chief Maloney was dead and four other officers were injured, before Mutrie killed his friend Brittany Tibbetts and then himself in the basement.
"We will never forget the courage and bravery shown by Chief Maloney and our law enforcement officers undercover on that day," said Delaney.
Delaney said changes have already been implemented, and more are on the way.
WBZ-TV also learned today that Tibbetts was found with about $14,000 dollars, most of which was stuffed in her bra. And shortly before she was killed, it appears she sent a text message to her mother saying, in part, "I love you...we didn't do anything wrong...I'm so sorry...goodbye."
Inside the home, investigators say they found cocaine, anabolic steroids, marijuana, and mushrooms.
Both Mutrie and Tibbetts had evidence of opiates and narcotics in their systems, according to the report.
