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The local newspapers have been less than accurate with information. Most articles give the basic facts with sub articles in boxes with local comments about the shooting which give opinions both pro and con the two victims.
There are 4 primary sources of information:
1) the dash cam of the cruiser, the video in possession of the NH AG's office.
2) Caleb, Kenny's passenger, who has virtually been in comunicado
3) Floyd, who also has isolated himself.
4)Floyd's son, who also has been isolated.
The press has no access to these sources, and much of what you read is the official AG line, and opinions of folks on the event, mostly based on conjecture. But the social dynamic is no mystery to anyone.
There will be 4000 to 6000 police officers in the community ( Cannon Mountain, Peabody Lodge) for the service on Thursday ( Today is wednesday, 16th May) , plus local people. I think most people want to get the service over before trying to put a complete picture together.
The NH AGs office has not yet given a very detailed forensic picture of what happened, I think largely for civil liability reasons. They are the only ones who have a complete picture, but there are 3 live witnesses to the event, so I am sure that in time we will know exactly what, where and when things happened.
The why? will always be in conjecture, simply because of politics. I say this as a Conservative: McKay, in my opinion was a good, ethical, unwavering , law enforcement officer. He was professional about his work, and the Franconia Police department was in a running policy battle with the more Liberal or Libertarian part of the community, who saw the antics of Lito and his companions in the context of youthful, Frat like pranks. The Law officers of Franconia saw them as a group who frequently endangered the public and broke traffic and drug laws. The question is whether the battle between them is over, or whether it will escalate.
I recognize Litos friend, Caleb , a passenger in his car at the time.He worked at a local AGWAY store where we occasionally shop. He has about 20 piercings of his nose, eye lids, lips etc. Litos group were not a good ole boy group,like on the Dukes of Hazard. They likely ran drugs, were armed, and were and still are immature for their age. I agree that they are a frequent danger to the community through speed violations and drug use, and that McKay was right in keeping an eye on them, including Lito. When Lito broke the law, it was enforced. With McKay gone, perhaps these youth will have their way, but I doubt it.
Lito saw himself as a bit of a kingpin in his little group and had big plans for a life of partying and easy money, while constructing a front life of 9 to 5 work.
Our towns here in the Northeast are full of such groups of youngsters who stay in town after high school or dropping out of school. They work low paying jobs , and drive and party hard on the week ends. They may have dreams but do little to act on them. They do not want to join the military to serve. They are self centered and generally spoiled by doting parents, raised with sparse discipline. So when they run up against real discipline, for the first time, it is often at the hands of a police officer, and then they have tantrums, like they always have at home, to get their way. It doesn't work. Some become smart enough to move away, or go back to school , or serve in the military. Others choose a life or rebellion which leads to serious drug use and deviant behaviour. Most of our young folk graduate from school and go to college , serve in the military, or do local trade work.
The Lito Kennys of the North East towns are thankfully a very small minority, but each town of 2000 or so people or less, has a few of these immature, spoiled young adults, and thankfully , our police keep them in check.
In my small town we call them the "knarly" crowd, from whom you would want to hide your daughters, guns, and dogs.
Liberals want to see Lito as a folk hero, and decry Greg Floyd as a former criminal out of control.
Conservatives support the work of Bruce McKay and the Franconia Police Department, and want to award US Marine Greg Floyd a medal.
And if the knarly crowd in Franconia and Eaton do not get themselves under control, this incident will be the beginning of a long battle, which goes on in one community or another up here continuously, thanks to parents who do not curb their kids until its too late.
A local paper that is following the story is the Caledonian Record. I am sure they will be carrying photos of Wednesday's Tribute to McKay and the Thursday Memorial service, with thousands of Officers from around the country and Canada.
http://www.caledonianrecord.com/
There are no photos available of Lito. His was not an attractive image. So the family is making sure the press has none.
This tragedy did not haver to happen. It was in the last analysis caused by a judge and attorneys who did not jail Lito for his former assault conviction. He was given a suspended sentence and probation, with a negotiated condition that McKay was to call other officers if he needed to enforce the law on him. This empowered Lito in the eyes of his friends and the knarly crowd. Lito thought he could pick and choose his police officer, and used the dynamic to escape having the law applied to him.He saw himself as in the right and a partial martyr to an unfair system of justice. What was ordinary law enforcement on a spoliled adult child, was seen as harassment by him, in the same way a spoiled brat sent to his room with no dinner would see that as harassment. In fact Lito did not know the danger of the game he was playing. As a result, two people died, and fortunately it was not more.
As usual, if the law was fully enforced in the beginning against Lito in terms of sentencing to jail for assaulting Bruce McKay, he would not have been empowered to see himself as a local hero.Then this whole thing likely would not have happened.
Liberal whiney justice again, has had very negative consequences.
The basic fault lies with a Coos County judge and a bunch of lawyers on both sides,who allowed Litos former plea bargain, instead of throwing the book at him like the Francionia Police had wanted 4 years ago.