A city resident was arrested for disorderly conduct at this week’s Manchester Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting as the long wait for answers in the police shooting of 24-year-old Nickenley Turenne boiled over into public confrontation, according to New Hampshire Public Radio. The arrest, which came during a meeting interrupted by the Turenne family and a coalition of advocates, marked the most volatile public moment yet in a saga that has tested the relationship between New Hampshire’s largest city and the state agency tasked with investigating police use of force.

Turenne was shot and killed by three Manchester officers in the predawn hours of Dec. 6, 2025. The Department of Justice’s Homicide Unit took control of the investigation that same morning, as is standard practice for officer-involved fatal shootings in New Hampshire. More than five months later, the state has not released the names of all the officers involved in any official public statement, has not made the body-worn camera footage available to the family, and has not delivered the autopsy report to Turenne’s father, according to family members who have spoken publicly at multiple aldermen meetings since December.

What Happened on Dec. 6

Manchester officers Brandon Baliko, Andre Chan, and Devin Lambert, all of whom had limited tenure on the force at the time, responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked near Green Acres Elementary School before dawn on Dec. 6, 2025. Inside the vehicle they found Turenne and a woman who appeared to be sleeping. When Turenne awoke, he attempted to flee in the car, ultimately crashing the vehicle. He then exited the car and engaged in what state authorities have described in court filings only as an “encounter” with police. The officers opened fire. Turenne, who was Black, was pronounced dead at the scene. Whether he was armed at the moment of the shooting has not been clarified publicly.

The shooting drew immediate scrutiny. Turenne’s family quickly demanded transparency, and a coalition of civil rights advocates, faith leaders, and Manchester residents have pressed for the release of body-worn camera footage and the autopsy report. The state has declined to provide either to the family, citing the ongoing investigation. The family’s frustration with that posture has been a recurring theme of public comment at every aldermen meeting since the shooting.

The Aldermen Meeting Arrest

Tensions reached a new peak this week. According to NHPR’s reporting, one Manchester resident was taken into custody on a disorderly conduct charge during the meeting itself. The arrest came as members of the Turenne family and a contingent of supporters used the public comment period to press the board, Mayor Jay Ruais, and Police Chief Allen Aldenberg for action on transparency in the case. The disorderly conduct charge under New Hampshire’s criminal code typically applies when a person disturbs an official proceeding or refuses to comply with lawful police orders.

Disorderly conduct charges in a civic setting carry symbolic weight that goes beyond the underlying offense. The arrest occurred at a public meeting where residents were attempting to demand accountability from elected officials over a fatal police shooting. Advocates have argued that the response itself illustrates why the family’s concerns have lingered for so long. City officials counter that meetings must be allowed to proceed and that disruptive behavior, regardless of motivation, is not a substitute for the formal review process.

Why Investigations Take This Long

State officials have not provided a public timeline for releasing findings. New Hampshire’s standard practice for officer-involved fatal shootings is for the Attorney General’s office to conduct an exhaustive review that includes interviews with officers and civilian witnesses, forensic analysis, scene reconstruction, body-camera review, and a written report that addresses whether the use of force was legally justified. Recent investigations have routinely taken six months to a year or more.

In the Turenne case, that pace has clashed with the family’s demand for basic answers about the moments leading to their son’s death. The state’s homicide unit has indicated that its review goes beyond the seconds of the encounter, examining officer training, decision-making, available alternatives to lethal force, and the broader context of how Manchester police engage with the community. That scope, while comprehensive, has compounded the wait for the family.

This past spring, New Hampshire saw multiple additional fatal encounters with police, including a Northfield shooting in April and an Ashland shooting later the same month that brought the state’s police-related death toll for April to three. Each new incident has stretched the Attorney General’s already-strained investigative capacity, and advocates argue that the resulting backlog has direct consequences for grieving families.

The Manchester Political Context

Mayor Ruais, a Republican who is seeking reelection later this year, has walked a careful line on the Turenne case. He has expressed condolences to the family and committed to cooperation with the state investigation, while also defending the broader work of the Manchester Police Department and resisting calls for independent civilian review. His office has noted that the department’s policies on use of force, body-worn cameras, and de-escalation are subject to ongoing internal review and external accreditation, and that the state’s investigation is the appropriate forum for adjudicating individual incidents.

Police Chief Allen Aldenberg has likewise emphasized that the department is cooperating fully with the Attorney General’s review, that the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave per department policy, and that the city cannot release video or other materials while a state investigation is open. Civil-liberties advocates, including a coalition that has met with the family, argue that the prolonged silence itself damages public trust regardless of the eventual finding.

What Comes Next

The Attorney General’s office will, at some point in the coming months, release its findings on whether the officers’ use of force was legally justified. That report will likely include a detailed factual narrative, the legal standard applied, and a public version of the body-worn camera footage. Whatever it concludes, the city of Manchester will face decisions about department training, supervision practices, and whether to adopt additional transparency measures that go beyond state requirements.

For the Turenne family, the wait continues. They have asked for the body-worn camera footage. They have asked for the autopsy report. They have asked for the names of all the officers involved. They have shown up at meeting after meeting. The arrest of a supporter at this week’s session is unlikely to slow them down.

As the New Hampshire Review has covered in other recent law-enforcement stories and the state’s broader policing landscape, 2026 has placed New Hampshire’s investigative and accountability mechanisms under unusual strain. The Turenne case will be a key test of whether those mechanisms can deliver answers in a timeframe that the public, and the families involved, can accept.

---

Who was Nickenley Turenne?

Nickenley Turenne, 24, was shot and killed by three Manchester police officers in the predawn hours of Dec. 6, 2025, after officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle near Green Acres Elementary School. He was Black, and his family has been publicly demanding transparency about the circumstances of his death ever since.

Why hasn't the body-worn camera footage been released?

The New Hampshire Department of Justice Homicide Unit is conducting the standard state-level review of the officer-involved shooting. State practice is to withhold body-worn camera footage from public release while that investigation is open. Families and advocates have argued that the policy should be reconsidered, particularly when investigations stretch beyond six months.

What were the officers' names, and are they still on the force?

Officers Brandon Baliko, Andre Chan, and Devin Lambert, all relatively new to the Manchester force at the time, responded to the call and discharged their weapons. They have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, per department policy.

Has anyone else been arrested in connection with the Turenne investigation?

A Manchester resident was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge at this week's Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting. The arrest came during a meeting that included public comment from Turenne family members and supporters. It is a separate matter from the underlying state investigation.

When will the New Hampshire Attorney General's findings be released?

The Attorney General's office has not provided a specific timeline. Comparable officer-involved shooting investigations in New Hampshire have typically taken six months to a year, and the Turenne case has now passed the five-month mark with no public report.

read more