Nearly a year after the fatal police shooting of 29-year-old Anthony Previte in Kensington, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has concluded that officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified.

The incident unfolded in the early morning hours of July 22, 2024, after Previte himself called 911 from his family’s home at 6 Olivia Lane in Kensington.

The Attorney General’s report notes that the 12:15 a.m. call was categorized as originating from an “Emotionally Disturbed Person,” according to the New Hampshire State Police incident report.

During the call, Previte told dispatchers he had found a cookbook in the basement that gave him “really creepy vibes” and claimed it contained evidence of a “cannibalistic homicide.”

State Police were made aware of the call and advised that troopers would follow up in the morning and “not immediately respond to this call,” as they suspected it was “not indicative of an emergency necessitating immediate response by officers at that hour of the night,” the report states.

In the morning, Previte sustained seven separate gunshot wounds during his interaction with law enforcement.

Sergeant Peter Connor of the Portsmouth Police Department, Sergeant Craig Forest of the Durham Police Department, Officer Nicholas Glowacki of the Seabrook Police Department, Officer Felix Siegels of the University of New Hampshire Police Department, Sergeant Theodore Sierad of the Exter Police Department and Detective Robert Kenyon and Corporal Jay Pappalardo of the Hampton Police Department were the officers involved in the incident.

Siegel, Sierad, Glowacki, Connor and Forest discharged their firearms at Previte, while Pappalardo deployed a sponge round.

The report states that during the encounter, Previte was armed and ran toward officers with a firearm, which they later said in interviews caused them to “fear for their own personal safety.”

Crisis negotiations

By morning, tensions at the Previte home had escalated.

Kensington Officer James Collier spoke with Previte’s parents, Kim and Andrew, outside the residence, who described their son’s behavior as “odd and concerning.” They told the officer that Previte had accused them of murder over the family cookbook he had found and had shoved and threatened to kill his mother during an altercation around 10:20 a.m.

“I am going to kill you,” he repeatedly told her, according to the official report.

The parents also disclosed that Previte had recently acquired two handguns along with 30 rounds of ammunition. One of the weapons had accidentally discharged inside the home five days earlier.

Based on this information, authorities filed criminal threatening and simple assault charges against Previte and obtained both arrest and search warrants.

But when officers attempted to serve the warrants, Previte barricaded himself inside the home, prompting a large-scale police response.

The Strafford County SWAT team was called, and at 2 p.m., the Seacoast Emergency Response Team (SERT) was also called.

By 7:58 p.m., officers had secured positions around the perimeter of the house and initiated crisis negotiations that continued for several hours.

According to the report, neighbors described the officers’ commands as “patient” and “nonthreatening.”

Despite repeated efforts, officers were not able to establish communication with Previte. Eventually, they determined he was inside a second-floor bathroom.

In response, a drone equipped with a camera was deployed to locate him. The drone operator soon reported over the radio that Previte was visible inside the bathroom and appeared to be armed with two firearms—an AR-style rifle and a pistol.

At one point, he stuck the pistol out the window, then fired a round, the report states. Detective Kenyon stated in the report that Previte “did not appear to be shooting at us; he was shooting up,” targeting the drone.

To continue negotiation efforts, officers deployed a robot carrying a cellphone up the stairs. The phone slid under the bathroom door, but Previte never used it or responded to messages.

The robot then released CS gas, a chemical irritant, outside the bathroom.

Moments later, Kenyon reported seeing the barrel of Previte’s rifle pointed downward toward the tree line where officers were positioned, visible from the bathroom window. Kenyon stated that “he did not have any concern he would specifically be targeted because of how hidden he was,” but he was concerned that Previte was preparing to fire again based on the preceding events.

Kenyon discharged a single round at 10:36 p.m., causing Previte to retreat from the window.

The robot operator then pushed the bathroom door open further, allowing officers to see Previte lying on his back, bloodied but still holding the modified pistol.

Officers were told, “He’s coming down the stairs!” Then Previte burst out the front door and ran toward the tree line, where officers including Forest and Sierad were stationed.

In their interviews, all officers stated that Previte had the modified pistol slung over his shoulder. Some reported seeing the firearm in his hands, while others observed it hanging loosely between his legs with the barrel pointed downward as he ran. It was “not discernible whether his hand is gripping or holding the rifle in any way,” the report states.

Despite repeated commands to stop, Previte did not respond. Officers opened fire near-simultaneously around 10:38 p.m.

Previte was struck multiple times and collapsed on the front lawn, just yards from the door.

When Previte failed to respond, officers moved in to take him into custody and began administering medical aid. It quickly became clear that he was deceased. His loaded firearm was still slung across his torso.

An autopsy later determined that Previte sustained seven gunshot wounds—to the head, chest, abdomen, hip, knee and shoulder. The cause of death was determined to be gunshot wounds to the head and chest. The manner of death was classified as homicide.

Toxicology tests found evidence of both active and past marijuana use in Previte’s system.

Sruthi Gopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com