Carl Drega
Encyclopedia
Carl Drega was a man from Bow, New Hampshire
, who killed two state troopers, a judge and a newspaper editor and wounded three other law enforcement officers before being shot to death in a firefight with police. His story is chronicled in the book The Ballad of Carl Drega by Vin Suprynowicz
.
Drega had a long history of conflict with government officials over code enforcement issues, starting in the 1970s over whether he could use tarpaper to side his vacation house in Columbia, New Hampshire
. He claimed that in 1981, 80 feet (24.4 m) of the riverbank along his property collapsed during a rainstorm. Drega decided to dump and pack enough dirt to repair the erosion damage, saying this would restore his lot along the Connecticut River
to its original size. State officials, on the other hand, contested that Drega was trying to change the course of the river. In 1995, the town selectman Vickie Bunnell accompanied a town tax assessor to Drega's property in a dispute over an assessment. Drega fired shots into the air to drive them away. Drega bought an AR-15
rifle and armor vest, and began equipping his property with early-warning electronic noise and motion detectors.
On August 19, 1997, at about 2:30, two New Hampshire state troopers, Scott Phillips and Les Lord, stopped Drega in the parking lot of LaPerle's IGA supermarket in neighboring Colebrook, New Hampshire
to ticket him for having rust holes in the bed of his truck. Drega shot and killed both troopers. Drega then stole their vehicle and drove to the office of former selectman, then lawyer and part-time judge, Vickie Bunnell. Bunnell reportedly carried a handgun in her purse out of fear of Drega, but may not have had it with her that day. She warned the staffers in the building to get out before she herself left by the back door. Drega went around the outside of the building and shot her in the back from a range of about 30 feet (9.1 m). Bunnell died. Dennis Joos, editor of the local Colebrook News and Sentinel, worked in the office housed in the same building. Unarmed, he ran out and tackled Drega. During the struggle for control of the gun, Drega shot Joos in the torso and back, killing him.
Drega then drove across the state line to Bloomfield, Vermont
, where he fired at New Hampshire
Fish and Game Warden Wayne Saunders, sending his car off the road. Saunders was struck on the badge and in the arm, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police from various agencies soon spotted the abandoned police cruiser Drega had been driving. As they approached the vehicle, they began taking fire from a nearby hilltop where Drega had positioned himself, apparently still armed with the AR-15 and about 150 rounds of ammunition. He managed to wound two more New Hampshire state troopers and a U.S. Border Patrol agent before he was killed by police gunfire.
Bow, New Hampshire
Bow is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,519 at the 2010 census.- History :Incorporated in 1727, the town was one of several formed to ease population pressures on the Seacoast. The town's name comes from its establishment along a bend, or "bow", in the...
, who killed two state troopers, a judge and a newspaper editor and wounded three other law enforcement officers before being shot to death in a firefight with police. His story is chronicled in the book The Ballad of Carl Drega by Vin Suprynowicz
Vin Suprynowicz
Vin Suprynowicz is a U.S. libertarian columnist who writes editorials for the Las Vegas, Nevada based Las Vegas Review-Journal. He is the author of two nonfiction compilations of his newspaper columns: Send In the Waco Killers and The Ballad of Carl Drega...
.
Drega had a long history of conflict with government officials over code enforcement issues, starting in the 1970s over whether he could use tarpaper to side his vacation house in Columbia, New Hampshire
Columbia, New Hampshire
Columbia is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 757 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT micropolitan statistical area.-History:...
. He claimed that in 1981, 80 feet (24.4 m) of the riverbank along his property collapsed during a rainstorm. Drega decided to dump and pack enough dirt to repair the erosion damage, saying this would restore his lot along the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
to its original size. State officials, on the other hand, contested that Drega was trying to change the course of the river. In 1995, the town selectman Vickie Bunnell accompanied a town tax assessor to Drega's property in a dispute over an assessment. Drega fired shots into the air to drive them away. Drega bought an AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
rifle and armor vest, and began equipping his property with early-warning electronic noise and motion detectors.
On August 19, 1997, at about 2:30, two New Hampshire state troopers, Scott Phillips and Les Lord, stopped Drega in the parking lot of LaPerle's IGA supermarket in neighboring Colebrook, New Hampshire
Colebrook, New Hampshire
Colebrook is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,301 at the 2010 census. Situated in the Great North Woods Region, it is bounded on the west by the Connecticut River and home to Beaver Brook Falls Natural Area....
to ticket him for having rust holes in the bed of his truck. Drega shot and killed both troopers. Drega then stole their vehicle and drove to the office of former selectman, then lawyer and part-time judge, Vickie Bunnell. Bunnell reportedly carried a handgun in her purse out of fear of Drega, but may not have had it with her that day. She warned the staffers in the building to get out before she herself left by the back door. Drega went around the outside of the building and shot her in the back from a range of about 30 feet (9.1 m). Bunnell died. Dennis Joos, editor of the local Colebrook News and Sentinel, worked in the office housed in the same building. Unarmed, he ran out and tackled Drega. During the struggle for control of the gun, Drega shot Joos in the torso and back, killing him.
Drega then drove across the state line to Bloomfield, Vermont
Bloomfield, Vermont
Bloomfield is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 261 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Berlin, NH–VT Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, where he fired at New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
Fish and Game Warden Wayne Saunders, sending his car off the road. Saunders was struck on the badge and in the arm, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police from various agencies soon spotted the abandoned police cruiser Drega had been driving. As they approached the vehicle, they began taking fire from a nearby hilltop where Drega had positioned himself, apparently still armed with the AR-15 and about 150 rounds of ammunition. He managed to wound two more New Hampshire state troopers and a U.S. Border Patrol agent before he was killed by police gunfire.