AG finds 6 troopers justified in use of deadly force in Claremont shooting
Aug. 25—Six state troopers who shot and killed a man last March in Claremont were justified in their use of deadly force, the Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday.
Jeffrey Ely, 40, who had barricaded himself in an automotive-type shop at 247 Sullivan St. in Claremont where he had been living for months, died March 31 during an exchange of gunfire with police.
Ely fired several shots at a group of pedestrians near Sullivan Street before barricading himself in a warehouse during a 5 1/2 -hour standoff with police, Assistant Attorney General Scott Chase said Wednesday.
Gunfire was exchanged between Ely and six members of the SWAT team, the Attorney General's Office said. An autopsy determined that Ely died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck, arms, legs and torso.
No law enforcement officers or anyone else were injured.
"Everything that Mr. Ely had said and done up to that point demonstrated a willingness to use deadly force and he showed no sign of acquiescing to the numerous prior commands to surrender," the Attorney General's report on the incident stated. "Mr. Ely's behavior that day showed his determination to continue to defy law enforcement and a willingness to confront them with deadly gunfire."
State officials determined the six troopers acted lawfully when they fired around 40 shots at Ely, hitting him nine times, because they were "concerned about their safety" and the safety of residents in the surrounding neighborhood, Chase said.
The six state troopers involved were identified as:
—Trooper First Class Nicholas Cyr, a state police trooper since 2005;
—Trooper First Class Stefan Czyzowski, a state trooper since 2006;
—Sgt. Gary Ingham, a state trooper since 2003;
—Trooper First Class Shane Larkin, a state trooper since 2002;
—Trooper William Neilsen, a state trooper since 2012 who worked as a Claremont police officer from 2010 to 2012;
—Trooper Noah Sanctuary, a state trooper since 2016 who worked for the Walpole Police Department from 2013 to 2016 and for Chesterfield police from 2008 to 2013.
At about 10:30 a.m. on March 31, 2021, Donald Woodman reported to Claremont police that Ely was behaving erratically at 247 Sullivan St., where Woodman worked.
Woodman, who knew Ely, told police Ely had been having "psychological issues" over the previous couple of months and that his behavior appeared more aggressive that morning.
Woodman told police Ely was yelling, driving recklessly around the building and threatening to "shoot everyone."
Claremont police who responded spoke with Ely at the shop for about 90 minutes, during which time he reported hearing voices.
"While it was apparent to the officers that Mr. Ely was having mental health complications, Mr. Ely did not believe he had any mental health problems or that he was imagining the voices," the AG's report stated.
Police left the shop with plans to return.
Around 2:51 p.m., a tenant in the building called 911 and reported that someone driving a maroon GMC Envoy matching Ely's vehicle had just shot at three people in the parking lot and hit a truck.
Police tried to speak with Ely, who was inside the shop. According to the AG's report, he fired a gun several times inside the building.
"Officers believed he had difficulty distinguishing between their voices and voices in his head," Chase said.
A state police SWAT team called to the building used a metal ram attached to an armored vehicle — called "the Bear" — to push the building door open. Ely shot at the vehicle several times and ignored repeated commands to drop his gun and leave the building, the report stated.
According to officials, Ely put on a jacket and, while holding what appeared to be an AR-style rifle, moved closer to the door "as if he was about to leave," the report said.
The troopers fired, hitting Ely several times.
Ely's rifle, which was still loaded and later found with the safety off, came to rest at his feet, officials said.
About 15 seconds after the initial volley of gunfire, Trooper Larkin reported he saw the left side of Ely's body move. Concerned he was still alive and "might be trying to shoot and kill them in a final stand," Larkin fired three more rounds at him.
After the shooting a SWAT team medic approached Ely and determined he was dead.
Ely's body was located just inside his shop, a 5.56 caliber AR-style rifle at his feet, with the buttstock resting between his feet. The rifle had a round in the chamber and 28 live rounds in the magazine, with the safety lever in the "fire" position, the report stated.
Ely also had a 9mm pistol in a holster on his right hip, fully loaded with a round in the chamber and 13 rounds in its magazine, officials said. Investigators located four loaded pistol magazines with 17 rounds in each magazine and two fully loaded 30-round magazines in Ely's pants pockets.
Investigators found two loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistols and an unloaded 9mm pistol in a bag on top of a desk in the middle of the shop. There was also a loaded 30-round rifle magazine on the desk, and two more loaded 30-round rifle magazines, containing 25 rounds and 30 rounds, on a tool chest in a garage bay.
On stop of a stack of wooden pallets investigators reported finding an unopened alcoholic beverage, a loaded 30-round magazine with 29 rounds, an unloaded pistol magazine and a loaded 9mm rifle, with a round in the chamber and 29 rounds in its magazine.
Toxicology testing found multiple drugs in Ely's blood, including methamphetamine, amphetamine, buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine.
