A My Turn “Times they are a changing” that ran July 29, 2020 concerning an incident that occurred July 18, 2009 in Swanzey, New Hampshire, contained incorrect and/or incomplete information, according to the report released by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
The final report issued April 27, 2010 states the details and findings for the case involving the death of Jeffrey Richardson following an exchange with Swanzey Police Cpl. Robert Eccleston. (A preliminary report was made July 22, 2009.) The 21-page report includes testimony from witnesses, including information prior to the incident.
According to the report, Eccleston responded to a call regarding a motor vehicle that was “operating erratically” and that the car had pulled into a clinic’s lot. The officer informed Richardson, who was relieving himself at the lot, that public urination was illegal.
“Richardson suddenly turned and quickly ran to the car which was still running. Cpl. Eccleston ordered Richardson to stop. Richardson got into the driver’s seat of the car and reached for the center console area,” the report states.
The report states Eccleston ordered Richardson to show his hands several times and when he did not comply but continued moving them, the officer reached inside the vehicle in an attempt to gain control of the man’s hands.
“As Cpl. Eccleston reached around Richardson, Richardson trapped Eccleston’s left arm between Richardson’s left arm and his body preventing Cpl. Eccleston from pulling away,” the report states.
According to the report, Richardson put his car in drive. “Cpl. Eccleston ran to keep up with car, which was accelerating at a high rate of speed toward Route 10. The officer could not remove his arm, which was pinned next to Richardson’s body. Cpl. Eccleston feared that if he did not free himself from Richardson he would either be killed by Richardson’s vehicle or be run over by oncoming traffic on the highway.”
The report states Eccleston removed his service weapon with his right hand and fired four shots into the passenger compartment. The officer saw one shot hit Richardson in the left shoulder. According to the report, evidence shows only four shots were fired.
After Eccleston’s arm was freed, the report states, he reached for the driver’s door because he was concerned he would be run over by Richardson’s car. “The officer held on for a distance as he was dragged along by the car. The officer then lost his grip and fell to the ground in the middle of the Route 10. Richardson’s vehicle traveled across the highway and came to rest at the bottom of the embankment on the southbound side of the road,” the report states.
Eccleston, who was dazed from the fall, got up because he was concerned about oncoming traffic. He picked up his gun, which had fallen into the roadway when he hit the ground, and then radioed for help, the report states.
According to the state Attorney General’s report, Richardson died of a single gunshot wound. No weapons were inside the vehicle; an unopened 40-ounce bottle of beer was found in the console. His blood alcohol level was 0.348 at the time of his death. His license to drive had been suspended in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
Eccleston was transported to Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H., where he was treated for injuries to his left arm and leg and released that day, the report states.
The Attorney General’s office ruled, “Under the circumstances Richardson’s manner of operation rendered his motor vehicle a deadly weapon.” Further, “A review of the witness interviews and the evidence from the scene establishes that Eccleston was justified in using deadly force against Richardson.”
Eccleston’s promotion, which was mentioned in the My Turn, occurred three years after the incident.