CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A man who died during a shooting with a state trooper worked as a chemical engineer for many years, but also had an arrest record on various driving and drug offenses and authorities were concerned about his recent behavior.
Mark Clermont, 45, of Whitefield, New Hampshire, died Dec. 23. The attorney general’s office said Trooper Matthew Merrill stopped a vehicle driven by Clermont in Dalton and there was an exchange of gunfire. Clermont was armed with a rifle and a handgun. Merrill is recovering in the hospital from gunshot wounds. The shooting is under investigation.
Clermont attended school in Lowell, Massachusetts, and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in chemical engineering. He had worked for Pfizer, according to his obituary.
Most listed offenses were minor violations, such as driving after his license was revoked and interfering with an antilock device. He was found guilty of disobeying a police officer in 2008.
The Caledonian-Record reports Clermont was “very anti-police and standoffish” to officers in September after someone alleged he was holding what appeared to be a gun outside his vehicle window, Police Chief Ed Samson said. An officer also wrote that he was concerned about Clermont’s mental health.
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