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WEBVTT NOW WITH JEAN MACKIN WHO IS AT MANCHESTER POLICE HEADQUARTERS. REPORTER: IN A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD HERE INSIDE THE MANCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT, POLICE AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE OUTLINED MINUTE BY MINUTE WHAT THOSE OFFICERS WENT THROUGH THIS MORNING, AND HERE'S HOW IT WENT. IT WAS RIGHT AROUND 2:00 A.M. ON FERRY STREET NEAR EXIT 5 ON 293 WHEN OFFICER RYAN HARDY, 27 YEARS OLD, SPOTTED THAT MAN FITTING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT IN THE GAS STATION ARMED ROBBERY. THEY SAY WHEN HE APPROACHED THE SUSPECT IMMEDIATELY SHOT HIM, TWICE, IN THE FACE AND UPPER SHOULDER. ONE BULLET TRAVELING TO HIS TORSO. THEN AT 2:23A.M., RESPONDING OFFICERS SPOTTED THE SUSPECT ON THE WEST SIDE CLOSER TO CATHOLIC MEDICAL CENTER, AND THAT'S WHEN OFFICER MATTHEW O'CONNOR, 28 YEARS OLD, WAS SHOT IN THE LEG. THE SUSPECT, 32-YEAR-OLD IAN MCPHERSON, WAS LOCATED RIGHT AROUND 5:00 A.M. AND TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, AND HE NOW FACES CHARGES THAT COULD PLACE HIM IN PRISON FOR LIFE. >> WE HAVE SECURED ARREST WARRANTS FOR MR. MCPHERSON FOR TOWARD COUNTS OF ATTEMPTED CAPITAL MURDER FOR SHOOTING AT BOTH OF THE OFFICERS WHO WERE FULLY UNIFORMED AT THE TIME THEY WERE SHOT. >> EVEN IN SPITE OF AN OFFICER BEING DOWN, THEY CONTINUED TO RUN AFTER THE SUBJECT. THEY CONTINUED TO PURSUE, EVEN AFTER A SECOND OFFICER WAS DOWN. JEAN: TONIGHT LIVE ON WMUR, POLICE CHIEF NICK WILLARD PRAISED OFFICER RYAN HARDY FOR RADIOING IN THAT DESCRIPTION THAT YOU HEARD, SO THAT OTHER OFFICERS COULD BE ON ALERT IN THE AREA SAYING THAT HE WAS ON THE GROUND WOUNDED BY TWO BULLETS AND STILL DOING HIS JOB, SAYING THAT HIS OFFICERS EXEMPLIFY THE BEST IN AMERICAN LAW ENFORCEMENT, BOTH ONCE AGAIN RECOVERING TONIGHT. AND ALSO TONIGHT, LEARNING NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE SUSPECT, THE CRIMINAL HISTORY OF IAN MCPHERSON NOW CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED CAPITAL MURDER, ADAM SEXTON IS JOINING US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM WITH THAT. REPORTER: HIS CRIMINAL RECORD IS NOT EXTENSIVE, BUT IT INDICATES THAT IN THE PAST MCPHERSON MAY HAVE STRUGGLED WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. RECORD WE OBTAINED SHOW MCPHERSON WAS ARRESTED IN THAT TOWN IN 2012 AND CHARGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF SIMPLE ASSAULT. POLICE FILE THINGS THAT CASE SAY HE VIOLENTLY ATTACKED HIS FATHER, KICKING HIM, GRABBING HIM BY THE NECK AND SMASHING HIS HEAD INTO THE FLOOR. IN THAT CASE MCPHERSON'S COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEY TOLD A JUDGE HE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT MCPHERSON'S COMPETENCY TO STAND TRIAL AND MCPHERSON WAS ORDERED TO UNDERGO A PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION. OTHER COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW A VERY SIMILAR SITUATION UNFOLDING BACK IN 2003, WHEN MCPHERSON WAS CHARGED WITH BITING HIS FATHER, PURGING HIM AND THROWING HIM INTO A WALL. IN THAT CASE A MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION WAS ORDERED AS WELL. COURT OFFICIALS SAY THERE WERE ALSO ARRESTS IN MERRIMACK DATING BACK TO 2001 FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT, BUT THOSE RECORDS WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

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Two police officers were shot Friday morning in Manchester, but officials said by noon that "the city is safe," and a suspect was in custody. Police said Officer Ryan Hardy was fired upon after he spotted a man near Ferry Street who matched the description of someone who robbed a gas station the night before. Shortly after Hardy radioed in about the stop about 2 a.m., he was fired upon and wounded in the face and shoulder. Despite his injuries, he was still able to tell dispatch the subject was headed south on Second Street and provided a description. Click to watch News 9's coverage. Police Chief Nick Willard said the shooter was spotted about a half-hour later on Rimmon Street near Putnam Street, and Officer Matthew O'Connor ordered him to put his hands up. But police said he fired at the officers, shooting O'Connor in the leg before fleeing. Willard said the shooter yelled, "I'm your man!" as he shot at the officers. View images from the scene. "In spite of an officer being down, they continued to run after the subject. They continued to pursue," Willard said. "Even after a second officer was down, they continued at their own peril to pursue the subject who shot two officers." The shootings sparked a massive search effort, aided by K-9 units and a helicopter from Massachusetts State Police. About 5 a.m., a man matching the shooter's description was spotted on Bartlett Street. He was arrested and charged with resisting detention. Watch: Chief Willard, Mayor Gatsas say city is safe. Officials identified the man as Ian MacPherson, 32. Associate Attorney General Jane Young said MacPherson has been charged with two counts of attempted capital murder. Each charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Police said MacPherson will likely be arraigned Monday. Court records show that MacPherson was previously arrested in 2012 in Merrimack on simple assault charges after he was accused of attacking his father. He faced similar charges in 2003, when he was again accused of attacking his father. In both cases, mental health evaluations were ordered. His court-appointed attorney in 2012 told the judge he had concerns about MacPherson's competency to stand trial. Both officers are expected to recover. O'Connor, 28, was treated and released. Hardy, 27, is in stable condition at a Boston hospital. Willard said Hardy was moved to Boston not because of his condition, but because he wanted to be closer to family in the area. Willard praised his officers for their actions. "The courage these officers exhibited are a testament to American law enforcement... the city of Manchester should be proud." Raw video: Several officers gather at staging area | Officers move toward scene West side residents described hearing exchanges of gunfire in the early morning. "I woke up to boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" witness Jennifer Marchant said. "It was numerous, numerous gunshots. I can't even count how many." Witness: 'There was a series of rapid-fire shots' An eight-block area on Manchester's west side was cordoned off during the investigation, and residents were told to shelter in place for several hours.One witness said he heard voices just before the gunfire. "I looked out the window, and I saw the officers coming out, and all I could see was I could hear them clearly yelling to the individual," witness Mike Boulanger said. "I didn’t get a clear look at the individual, but they were clearly saying, 'Let’s see your hands! Let’s see your hands!' out loud, really loud. And the officers were with guns drawn." West High School, Gossler Park School, Northwest Elementary School, Parker-Varney School and Parkside Middle School were closed Friday because of the active search situation, officials announced. The shelter-in-place warning was lifted about 10:15 a.m. At noon, Willard and Mayor Ted Gatsas appeared on News 9 at Noon and said that the danger had passed, though they wouldn't confirm that anyone was in custody. "I am confident that the city is safe," Willard said. "The word 'custody' is being thrown out a lot. We are no longer looking for the individual believed to be responsible for shooting our two officers." One man who heard the shots from the second shooting said the response was one of overwhelming force. "Within 30 seconds, cruisers were over here," witness Bob McKenna said. "I thought it might have been a drug raid, because there were so many within two minutes. A lot of state police, local police and some unmarked that were here quickly." One resident near a condominium complex said police were even searching trash cans. A command post was also set up at a staging area on the west side, but it was taken down later in the morning.