Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield confirmed reports that there were two armed men on the rooftop of the Masonic Hall during Sunday’s Black Lives Matter protest through the downtown area, but said in an interview Tuesday that there is no evidence they broke the law.
“No one has come forward as a victim and said that they saw the rifle pointed at them, which would lead to a criminal charge,” Canfield said.
An undermined number of what Canfield described as “self-styled militia,” walked around downtown carrying what police said were assault weapons, which prompted a number of calls to police from members of the public to report their concerns that such weapons were being displayed.
Canfield said he had no idea what level of training the men had. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he said. “I imagine it varies a lot. Obviously there’s no standard” required to possess and carry such weapons in public.
He said he understands the unease people might have felt because “tensions were running high,” but he also had conversations with some of the gunmen and said they were polite and respectful and he had no problem with their presence at the event.
(These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.)