New Hampshire grandmother shot to death by state troopers during traffic stop

A New Hampshire grandmother was shot to death by state troopers earlier this week during a traffic stop.

The state attorney general’s office released a statement Wednesday revealing new details about events that led to the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Wendy Lawrence, reported the Concord Monitor.

The Canterbury woman was pulled over Monday evening after a state trooper said she was speeding and driving erratically on Interstate 89.

Lawrence gave the officer an identification card and said she had a valid driver’s license, but the trooper discovered the woman was listed as a habitual offender with a suspended license.

That’s when the officer said Lawrence sped away.

The state trooper pursued her long enough to describe her vehicle to other authorities, but he said he spotted Lawrence again just a short time later.

The officer said Lawrence tried to drive away from him and nearly struck a pedestrian at an on-ramp to Interstate 93.

Additional state troopers joined the pursuit, and they followed her to an intersection.

According to the statement released by the attorney general’s office, a state trooper began shooting at Lawrence, striking her four times, and she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Investigators said details remain unclear about the moments prior to the shooting, which remains under investigation.

Lawrence’s boyfriend said troopers fired nearly a dozen times at her, with some of the shots striking her car.

A neighbor who heard the shooting said he did not hear Lawrence’s car strike any of the cruisers, as earlier reports suggested.

The neighbor said he looked out his window after hearing gunfire and saw Lawrence sitting in her car initially with her hands on the wheel, but then she let go after she was shot.

WHDH-TV 7News Boston

A police car's siren. Photo: Flickr user Jo Naylor.