Police say they have identified a suspect in a shooting Saturday that sent a Jaffrey man to the hospital.
“We have a theory as to who the shooter may be,” said Jaffrey Police Chief William Oswalt, in an interview Monday morning. “We have advanced one theory about what happened. It’s a sensitive one.”
A gun that may be linked to the shooting has also been recovered, according to Oswalt.
Oswalt declined to elaborate on the theory, noting that there are still other theories at play. One of such theories is that the victim was at his employer’s house, interrupted a break-in, and was shot.
Police were originally called to Proctor Road at 6:45 p.m. after reports of an adult male who was walking unsteadily near a pick up, covered in blood. Police have since identified the victim as Jason D. Conety, 42, of Jaffrey. Oswalt said Conety was employed by Dennis Wright, who lives on Proctor Road close to where Conety was found.
“It wouldn’t be uncommon for Conety to go to his employer’s house to pick up or drop things off,” said Oswalt.
Oswalt said police found the weapon in a small body of water located on Proctor Road near Conety’s truck, with the help of the Jaffrey Fire Department, on Sunday. The Fire Department used its hose truck to suck the water away. Oswalt would not indicate any details about the gun, but said investigators are working to identify the owner of the firearm, and what role, if any, the firearm had in the shooting.
The incident was initially reported as a motor vehicle accident, but as police arrived on scene, it was determined that the incident was a shooting. Conety was shot in the chest, according to Oswalt, and was transported to Monadnock Community Hospital, and later, Elliot Hospital in Manchester. Oswalt said that Conety is in stable condition as of Monday morning.
Police had closed Proctor Road as a part of the investigation, reopening it on Monday. Oswalt said police had asked a few residents close to the incident to evacuate their homes. As of Monday morning, police have confidence that there is no longer a threat of violence to the neighborhood or community at large.
“We are still a little shocked,” said Stephanie Dionne, who lives with her husband and four children on a North Street property abutting Proctor Road. “I didn’t want to leave my home. We could hear the police and SWAT on megaphones through the woods.”
New Hampshire State Police Troop C, and the Major Crimes unit are assisting Jaffrey police with the investigation.
Oswalt said many interviews have been conducted, and that more still will take place.
Anyone with information about the investigation is requested to contact the Jaffrey Police Department through dispatch at 355-2000.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.