Claremont
Cody LaFont called police more than a dozen times in about two hours one early December morning, first requesting “someone to talk to,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Claremont District Court.
An officer responded to his Congress Street home around 5 a.m. on Dec. 13 and had an in-person conversation with LaFont for about 90 minutes, talking about various topics, including his “personal problems,” before the officer left his residence, the affidavit states.
Afterward, LaFont placed several additional 911 calls, first asking police to leave the area of his home after he summoned them there, and then requesting an officer take him to McDonald’s. When officers didn’t respond, LaFont called 911 again and was told that if he continued to call, he would be charged with abusing 911.
Later that day, police cited LaFont into court on a misdemeanor offense of misusing the 911 system.
He was scheduled to stand trial on the charge on Oct. 24, according to a court clerk.
The 25-year-old LaFont died during a confrontation with police at his home in the early morning hours on Sunday.
Authorities say they responded to his home after receiving “a call for service to a residence,” according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
On Monday, a neighbor who declined to give her name said she heard three gun shots shortly before 5 a.m. on Sunday before seeing a large police presence converge near her home, which sits at the end of the dead-end Congress Street.
No police officers were injured during the incident, authorities said.
LaFont’s autopsy was scheduled for Monday; however, Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley said on Monday afternoon that the procedure hadn’t been completed.
Hinckley remained tight-lipped about the events that culminated in LaFont’s death. He said authorities are still investigating the incident and releasing details — including the name of the officer or officers involved — could hamper their work.
“Typically, we have to keep information to ourselves so we don’t taint other witnesses who may hear or read information in the press, whether it be accurate or inaccurate,” Hinckley said.
Withholding the name or names is routine, he said.
“Whether an officer is involved in the shooting, that’s standard practice,” he said. “And the reason for that is that we want to be as objective and get the most information — and the most objective information — as possible.”
He said he didn’t have a timeline for when details about LaFont’s death would be released.
Meanwhile, court records indicate that LaFont had at least five misdemeanor convictions stemming back to 2013, including criminal trespassing and resisting arrest in December 2015. He was given a suspended sentence and ordered to continue mental health counseling, according to the documents.
In 2013, he was convicted of deer jacking, court documents indicate.
The complaint reads: “(LaFont) did knowingly use an artificial light between a half hour after sunset and a half hour before sunrise to illuminate, or attempt to locate wild animals.”
He had a loaded rifle in his vehicle, identified in court records as a Mini Cooper, when he was arrested on the illegal night hunting charge. He was forced to forfeit the firearm, according to the complaint.
LaFont’s mother, Tracy McEachern, said on Sunday night that her son suffered from mental health issues, including depression. She said at the time she was confident her son didn’t possess weapons on his person or in his home.
Attempts to connect with McEachern on Monday evening were unsuccessful. In a brief telephone conversation on Monday afternoon, she said she was off to the funeral home to make arrangements for her son.
LaFont grew up in Ascutney and went to Windsor High School, where he played football, and then to Stevens High, before earning a diploma from the Claremont Adult Learning Center in 2011. As a teen, he also enjoyed racing at Claremont’s Twin State Speedway, according to the Valley News’ archive. On more than one occasion in 2007 and 2008, LaFont placed in the top three racers in the sportsman feature.
Claremont Police Chief Alex Scott deferred all questions about the case to the Attorney General’s Office.
Generally, the Claremont Police Department has a minimum of two patrol officers on duty between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m., he said.
At all other times of the day, there are a minimum of three officers on duty and up to nine officers. Having two officers working the overnight shift is adequate, he said.
“Workload analysis would indicate that that is more than sufficient,” Scott said.
Claremont officers — like all officers in the state — receive at least 16 hours of training on “working with the mentally ill” at the state’s police academy, Scott said.
His department provides ongoing training for officers as well.
“Additionally, all newly hired employees receive training on our department policies, which includes dealing with persons with pental illness,” he said. “We also require refresher training on our policy and applicable RSAs every three years.”
Sunday’s shooting likely was not caught on camera, as Claremont police officers don’t wear body cameras nor do they have cameras in their cruisers, Scott said. That is partly due to the cost.
In addition, Scott said, there are unanswered questions about when it is legal for police to make audio or video recordings under New Hampshire state law, which requires a person to notify the other party before starting a recording device.
Gov. Maggie Hassan in June signed into law a bill that provides guidelines for police body camera usage, but Scott said the legislature is still reviewing the legalities of such recordings.
Congress Street had a much different feel on Monday morning than it had 24 hours earlier; police cleared the scene around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night, and only a few onlookers lingered in the area on Monday.
No one answered a knock at the door on Monday morning at the home where LaFont lived. The blue Mini Cooper remained backed into the driveway.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.
Clarification
This story has been amended to clarify Cody LaFont’s educational background.