Killer slain with officer's gun
By PAT GROSSMITH
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
The cousin of famed skier Bode Miller who shot and killed a Franconia police officer was then shot and killed by a witness who used the slain officer's .45 caliber gun to do it.
Liko Kenney, 24, of Franconia, convicted in 2003 of assaulting Franconia Police Cpl. Bruce McKay, shot him dead Friday night and then ran over him with his Toyota, authorities said yesterday at a Concord press conference.
Passer-by Gregory W. Floyd, 49, a former Marine, witnessed the shooting and came to the officer's aid.
Floyd positioned his pickup truck to shield the fallen officer, grabbed McKay's .45 caliber gun and shot Kenney, who was in his car, holding his Colt .45 caliber handgun.
McKay's cruiser videotaped the incident. The tape shows McKay, who had not drawn his gun, being shot by Kenney, according to Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. McKay, a 12-year veteran of the Franconia Police Department, was not wearing a bullet-resistant vest.
"This is a terrible loss to our state," Ayotte said. "It once again reminds us of the difficult and dangerous work that is done every day by law enforcement of the state to protect each of us. The police officers of the state, including Cpl. McKay, are nothing short of heroes."
Gov. John Lynch directed all American and state flags be flown at half staff until further notice. Yesterday, he met with members of the Franconia community to extend his condolences and offer assistance.
"This terrible tragedy has impacted families, the Franconia area and the entire state of New Hampshire," Lynch said in a prepared statement. "My thoughts and prayers, and those of my wife, Susan, are with the family of Cpl. McKay, whose courage, service and commitment to protecting others is an example for us all."
Ayotte, Capt. Russell Conte of the State Police Major Crime Unit, and Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin, chief of the homicide division, detailed what happened Friday night when a routine traffic stop ended the lives of McKay and Kenney.
At 6:30 p.m., McKay pulled over the 1984 Toyota Celica Kenney was driving on Route 116 in Franconia for speeding and a problem with the car's registration. Caleb Macaulay, 21, Kenney's best friend and co-worker at Merrill's Agway in Littleton, was in the passengr seat.
Kenney asked for another officer to handle the traffic stop when he saw it was McKay who pulled him over, according to Conte and friends of Kenney.
McKay and Kenney had a long-standing dislike of each other, according to Kenney's friends and family. Kenney was convicted in 2003 of assaulting a police officer -- McKay -- and resisting arrest, Ayotte said.
Friday, when McKay refused to call in another officer, Kenney drove off. Rob Hayward, who said he talked with Macaulay, said Kenney drove off at a slow speed.
Conte said he did not know how fast McKay was driving when he overtook theToyota about 1 1/2 miles later on Route 116. Strelzin said McKay, who radioed in the pursuit and asked for backup, pulled his cruiser ahead of Kenney's car, forcing him to stop.
The officer then backed his cruiser into Kenney's Toyota, pushing it off the road and preventing Kenney from driving off a second time. McKay used a "small amount of force, not excessive" to move the car, Strelzin said.
The officer got out of his cruiser, walked up to the driver side of Kenney's car and pepper-sprayed both Kenney and Macauley.
Once he sprayed them, McKay walked away -- Conte said either to avoid the spray himself or to go back to his cruiser to check on something. Authorities don't know for sure.
Kenney fired his Colt .45, as McKay walked away, hitting the officer four times in the "upper trunk", according to Ayotte. She and Strelzin both said they had not seen the complete autopsy report and do not know if the officer was shot in the back or the chest. The bullet wounds killed him, according to the autopsy, they said.
McKay collapsed in the road, and then Kenney ran over him, pinning the officer under his car.
Authorities said Floyd and his son, Gregory P. Floyd, 21, were in their 4-door Tahoe and witnessed the shooting. Floyd, who told investigators he is a Marine veteran, immediately positioned his truck to shield the downed officer. Then he picked up McKay's gun, which was on the ground.
Ayotte said investigators are not sure if McKay drew his gun after he was hit by the shots or if it came loose after he was run over by the Toyota.
Floyd pointed the gun at Kenney, who was still in his car holding the Colt .45, and told him to drop the gun. When Kenney failed to comply, Floyd pulled the trigger, killing the 24-year-old man.
Ayotte said Floyd's actions appear to be a "justified use of deadly force."
Bode Miller, who once bailed his cousin out of jail, is en route to Franconia, his father said.
Merrill said Kenney was learning the job at Agway, was good with customers and had "good future here ... I think it's a shame it had to happen."
NH: Witness kills cop-killer
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KBCraig
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Since this happened not far from where I'll be living in a couple of years, I've read all I can find on it.
Everyone agrees that Mr. Floyd, the former Marine, was fully justified in his actions, and that Liko Kenney was completely unjustified.
But my sad conclusion is that Cpl. McKay's death is as much his own doing as anyone else's, and that his style of policing greatly contributed to Kenney's anger.
As I said, Kenney was completely unjustified. But even McKay's strongest supporters noted that he was a zero-tolerance enforcer of laws.
Police officers are always at risk, but sometimes they put themselves at unnecessary risk by the approach they adopt. Kenney and McKay had a history. In 2003, Kenney was convicted of assaulting McKay and resisting arrest. Kenney claimed that he was the victim of an assault; he had no witnesses to support his claim, but Kenney was the one in a coma with a broken jaw. An agreement was in place that if McKay stopped Kenney, another officer would be called to handle things. On Friday, McKay refused to call another officer, and things escalated from there.
I pray for our LEOs who work the streets. I also pray that they and their advisers have the wisdom to know that it's a bad idea to be badge-heavy in a small rural town with a four-officer department.
I salute George Floyd for his bravery and decisiveness. I also salute Attorney General Kelly Ayotte's common sense, and her speedy announcement that Floyd was justified and would face no charges.
My condolences to both families.
Kevin
Everyone agrees that Mr. Floyd, the former Marine, was fully justified in his actions, and that Liko Kenney was completely unjustified.
But my sad conclusion is that Cpl. McKay's death is as much his own doing as anyone else's, and that his style of policing greatly contributed to Kenney's anger.
As I said, Kenney was completely unjustified. But even McKay's strongest supporters noted that he was a zero-tolerance enforcer of laws.
Police officers are always at risk, but sometimes they put themselves at unnecessary risk by the approach they adopt. Kenney and McKay had a history. In 2003, Kenney was convicted of assaulting McKay and resisting arrest. Kenney claimed that he was the victim of an assault; he had no witnesses to support his claim, but Kenney was the one in a coma with a broken jaw. An agreement was in place that if McKay stopped Kenney, another officer would be called to handle things. On Friday, McKay refused to call another officer, and things escalated from there.
I pray for our LEOs who work the streets. I also pray that they and their advisers have the wisdom to know that it's a bad idea to be badge-heavy in a small rural town with a four-officer department.
I salute George Floyd for his bravery and decisiveness. I also salute Attorney General Kelly Ayotte's common sense, and her speedy announcement that Floyd was justified and would face no charges.
My condolences to both families.
Kevin
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KBCraig
Topic author - Banned
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Interesting that George Floyd, whom many are quick to call a hero, had his own run-ins with the law. I know a lot of people, some of them here on this forum, would be quick to say he wasn't the kind of person who should be allowed to carry a gun.
Union Leader article
Union Leader article
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isoplus
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Very well said...KBCraig wrote:Since this happened not far from where I'll be living in a couple of years, I've read all I can find on it.
Everyone agrees that Mr. Floyd, the former Marine, was fully justified in his actions, and that Liko Kenney was completely unjustified.
But my sad conclusion is that Cpl. McKay's death is as much his own doing as anyone else's, and that his style of policing greatly contributed to Kenney's anger.
As I said, Kenney was completely unjustified. But even McKay's strongest supporters noted that he was a zero-tolerance enforcer of laws.
Police officers are always at risk, but sometimes they put themselves at unnecessary risk by the approach they adopt. Kenney and McKay had a history. In 2003, Kenney was convicted of assaulting McKay and resisting arrest. Kenney claimed that he was the victim of an assault; he had no witnesses to support his claim, but Kenney was the one in a coma with a broken jaw. An agreement was in place that if McKay stopped Kenney, another officer would be called to handle things. On Friday, McKay refused to call another officer, and things escalated from there.
I pray for our LEOs who work the streets. I also pray that they and their advisers have the wisdom to know that it's a bad idea to be badge-heavy in a small rural town with a four-officer department.
I salute George Floyd for his bravery and decisiveness. I also salute Attorney General Kelly Ayotte's common sense, and her speedy announcement that Floyd was justified and would face no charges.
My condolences to both families.
Kevin