2 sought in shooting that left 4 wounded at afternoon party

RELATED STORY ⇒ 4 people injured after shooting at party, ‘not random,’ incident, police say

MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester Police are “extremely concerned” about a shooting Saturday that left four adults wounded – two women and two men, all in their 20s – and a neighborhood on edge.

“We are extremely concerned – the community should be concerned this is going on,” said Lt. Matthew Barter during a late-night news briefing at police headquarters hours after the May 13 shooting.

“The community needs to take a stance that this cannot happen here.  That’s why we need the community to be involved. Certainly the Manchester Police Department is not going to let this happen here and we need the community to help out with that,” Barter said.

Barter credited a quick response by patrol officers who got to the scene “within two minutes” and began administering “life-saving” medical aid to the four victims until ambulances arrived.

In a brief narrative, Barter detailed the incident as follows: At 4:50 p.m. “numerous 911 calls” came in to report the shooting, which took place on Ahern Street in the Elmwood Gardens development where a celebration was taking place including “at least 15 people.”

He said two suspects, who were thought to be male and both wearing hooded sweatshirts, were seen fleeing the area immediately after the shooting. Further details were not available, Barter said, as detectives are actively investigating.

“This happened in the afternoon in broad daylight at a gathering. Many people saw what happened,” Barter said, and police are encouraging the public to step up by calling police detectives or leaving an anonymous tip on the city’s Crimeline.

“I cannot express enough the importance of folks coming forward and helping us and telling us what they saw,” Barter said. “What they know in this case is going to be vital” when it comes to making arrests “and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”

All four victims are being treated at an area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Barter said. They are expected to pull through.

“Detectives will be working into the night and into the foreseeable future until we arrest the perpetrators an bring them to justice,” Barter said.

Minutes after the Ahern Street shooting there was another report of gunfire in the area of Vernon Street, which is about a quarter-mile away. Barter said part of the investigation includes detectives working to determine if there is a connection. “I’m not sure, it’s part of the investigation, Certainly the proximity [to the Ahern Street shooting] is interesting.”

Barter noted that Police Chief Allen Aldenberg was not present because he is in Washington, D.C., attending events connected to National Police Week.