Court documents: Stabbing victim in controversial bail case threw the first punch

MANCHESTER, NH – Kyle Jacob Bisson, the city man released on bail after being accused of repeatedly stabbing a man in an argument, told police he was acting in self-defense after the other man punched him in the face and tackled him to the ground.

Bisson, who suffered a stab wound to the chest in the altercation, said he thought he was going to be “beaten to a pulp.”

Police said Bisson was recorded on surveillance video swinging the knife at the man who was running away.  He suffered 8 to 9 stab wounds, according to investigators.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte, Mayor Jay Ruais and Executive Councilor John Stephen all expressed outrage that Magistrate Stephanie Johnson later released Bisson on personal recognizance bail.

However, none of them, including police, mentioned in their news releases how the incident began – the alleged victim threw the first punch – or that Bisson had maintained he acted in self-defense.

Bisson, 25, of 539 Rimmon St., is charged with second-degree assault and two counts of falsifying physical evidence, for tossing a pocket knife down a storm drain and his red puffy jacket into a dumpster.

The stabbing happened just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2025, outside Bunny’s Convenience Store, 947 Elm St.

Manchester Ink Link obtained the affidavit filed by police that details what happened.

In it, Detective Timothy Carter said when officers arrived at the scene they found a man with multiple stab wounds to the chest and back.  Identified as M.P., he was transported to the Elliot Hospital for emergency treatment.

Police began searching for the other man involved in the fight described as a Hispanic, wearing a red puffy jacket and headed east on Amherst Street.   About that time, Bisson called 911 to say he had been stabbed in the chest and was on the Bridge Street Bridge.

While being treated on the scene, Bisson told officers the injury was from the “guy on Elm Street” and that he had discarded the knife in a storm drain.  Bisson also was taken to the Elliot for treatment.

Police later found Bisson’s jacket, with blood on it, in a dumpster near the parking lot at 2 Wall St.

Officers recovered video footage of the incident from Bunny’s and Taj India, 967 Elm St.

Bunny’s video recorded Bisson and M.P. arguing from opposite sides of Amherst Street.  After a short time, Bisson walks away, heading north on Elm Street, while M.P. remains standing in front of Bunny’s.  Bisson eventually walks back to M.P. and the two appear to argue again, this time face-to-face.

M.P. lunges at Bisson and then punches him in the face, causing Bisson to stumble backwards.  Then, according to Carter’s affidavit, Bisson makes a “whipping downward motion with his right hand, which appears consistent with someone whipping a folding pocket knife blade out.”

When Bisson did that, he turns around and looks at the ground, as if he dropped something.  He bent down as if to pick up something and M.P. rushes him.  At that point, both men are on the ground fighting, partially out of view of the camera.  The two stand up and, Carter writes, “M.P. appears to be fleeing and Bisson chases him, making several stabbing motions at him as they run around the intersection of Amherst Street/Elm Street.”

The altercation ends and Bisson walks away while M.P. remains at Bunny’s awaiting emergency personnel.

The Taj India video recorded much of the same although from a different angle.  It also showed, however, that after the argument ended, Bisson walked north on Elm Street before heading back to M.P. for a short bit.  He then runs east on Amherst Street out of view of the camera.

Police interviewed M.P. at the hospital where initially he was assessed with having nine stab wounds. M.P. said he did not know his assailant.  He said he was standing on the sidewalk outside Bunny’s talking to a friend.  He said a man in the puffy red jacket deliberately bumped into him.  M.P. told the man to apologize.

The two began to argue and he said Bisson was being “mouthy.”   Bisson told him he had a knife and then pulled out a pocket knife.  M.P., in turn, said he also had a knife and the men continued arguing.  M.P. told police he didn’t actually have a knife but he said he did to try to scare off Bisson, who wouldn’t leave.

Bisson walked away but came back and pulled out the knife for a second time so M.P. “went into ‘combat mode’ because he was scared at that point.”  M.P. punched Bisson in the head in an attempt to knock him unconscious to prevent Bisson from stabbing him.  After he punched Bisson, he said Bisson attempted to take the knife out but dropped it in a snowbank.  M.P. used the opportunity to again try to knock out Bisson and disarm him.

Bisson, however, grabbed the knife and began stabbing him.  M.P. said after being stabbed about three times, he told Bisson he was done and told him to stop.  Bisson, he said, continued to stab him, even though M.P. was walking away.

He said he didn’t know how Bisson was stabbed because M.P. never gained control of the knife.

Carter interviewed Bisson at the hospital.  Bisson said earlier that day he had an argument with a homeless man he knows as “Chris.”  He said he generally does not carry a knife but, because of that argument, he decided to buy a pocket knife at Bani Multi Service, 300 Merrimack St., where he went to cash his payroll check.  He said he was not planning on using the knife but “you gotta defend yourself.”

After cashing his check and buying the knife, he began walking home by way of Elm Street, heading to Bridge Street.  When he got to Bunny’s, he said, M.P. was on the sidewalk talking to a homeless man.  M.P., Bisson said, was blocking most of the sidewalk so he told M.P. to watch out because people were walking there.  M.P., Bisson told the detective, became angry and told him to shut the fuck up.  M.P. started cursing at him so Bisson “flipped the switch” and said if you want to fight, we can fight.

M.P. lunged at him, to try to intimidate him, Bisson said, but he wasn’t scared of him.  Bisson became angry after M.P. did that a few times.  He said he warned M.P. he had a knife  and said to let it go.  M.P. said he had a knife, too.

Bisson said he crossed Amherst Street and was walking away when M.P. called him the “N” word.  Bisson turned back, approached M.P. and told him if he wanted “throw hands, we can throw hands.”  M.P then punched him in the face, dazing him, and making Bisson think “he was about to get beaten to a pulp.”

Bisson said he was holding the folding knife in his right pocket and when M.P. went to hit him, he tried to put his hands up to defend himself and dropped the knife.  He went to pick it up and M.P. jumped on top of him.

Bisson said he was on his back trying to flip the knife blade out when he stabbed M.P. three times in the stomach and ribs.  He said he then got up and M.P. said stop repeatedly with his hands up.  Bisson said M.P. stayed at Bunny’s and he went north up Nutfield Lane where he dumped the knife into a drain.  He later threw his jacket into the dumpster. He had no explanation for why he threw the items away other than “because he didn’t know what to do” and he “was scared.”

Bisson only realized he suffered a stab wound to the chest when he was walking across the Bridge Street Bridge.  He was unsure how he was stabbed.  He said M.P. never had the knife and said it was possible the wound was self-inflicted in the scuffle.

Carter confronted Bisson about what was recorded on security footage.  He told him that after they both stood up, he chased M.P. He asked Bisson to explain that.

Bisson asked, “like chasing him with the knife, trying to stab him?”  Carter said that’s what it looked like.

Bisson said the best way he could explain that was “adrenaline.”

M.P., Carter said, was walking away, retreating, and it appeared Bisson was chasing him.  Bisson said that “it just happened so fast.”  He said he guessed he still felt like M.P. was a threat.  The detective asked him if he was caught up in the heat of the moment and he said yes, that that was the best way he could describe it.

A probable cause hearing is set for March 6 at 1:15 p.m. in district court.