The off-duty Peterborough police officer associated with the recent fatal shooting on Sunday returned home.
On Tuesday, the Peterborough Police Department escorted him back to Grove Street from the hospital where he was treated for apparent stab wounds.
Peterborough Police Lieutenant George Xenakis said the procession was a tradition, but declined to comment further.
Town Administrator Nicole MacStay said it was a display of reinforcement.
“It is a tradition in public safety to escort police officers or firefighters home to show support and solidarity with not only the injured individual, but also their families,” MacStay said.
Police responded to the incident at around 8:30 p.m. at the west end of Grove Street, close to the Peterborough Police Station on Sunday, July 5. Officers found an adult male deceased in the driveway from an apparent gunshot wound. The off-duty officer suffered “stab/incised wounds” and was brought to the local hospital, according to a statement for Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Col. Mark B. Hall.
The two men were neighbors on Grove Street. The man found dead was identified as Jack Hutchings, 24, of Peterborough.
No one answered the door at the Grove Street home owned by Officer Douglas MacPherson on Wednesday. MacPherson joined the department in May 2025.
Investigators are looking into whether the shooting was in self-defense, according to the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General.
An autopsy on Hutchings was completed Monday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The cause and manner of death will be released once next-of-kin notifications are complete.