A routine traffic stop led to a chase that ended with Wendy Lawrence shot to death by New Hampshire State Troopers, and an investigation is ongoing.

The state attorney general's office issued a statement Wednesday revealing new details about events that led to the fatal shooting.


The 45-year-old grandmother was pulled over in Manchester Monday evening for speeding and driving erratically.

Lawrence gave the officer an identification card and claimed she had a valid driver’s license, but the trooper discovered Lawrence was listed as a habitual offender and her license was suspended.

The officer says Lawrence then sped away. He pursued Lawrence long enough to describe her vehicle to other troopers, who joined the chase. The officer said Lawrence nearly struck a pedestrian at an on-ramp to Interstate 93.

At some point, already near her home, a state trooper began shooting at Lawrence, striking her four times. Investigators say details about the moments before the shooting remain unclear.

A neighbor who heard the shooting said he did not hear Lawrence’s car strike any of the cruisers, as was suggested in early reports. After hearing gunfire, he looked out the window to see Lawrence sitting in her car with her hands on the wheel, but then she let go after she was shot.

“I don’t feel that was the proper way to handle the situation,” he said.

Lawrence’s boyfriend said troopers fired nearly a dozen times with some shots striking her car. Lawrence was pronounced dead at a local hospital.