MANCHESTER — Wounded Manchester Police Officer Daniel Doherty reported that during his foot pursuit of Myles Webster, he was nearly close enough to tackle him when Webster turned and fired. He said Webster kept firing until he ran out of bullets.

A police detective testified Wednesday that 13 .357 caliber bullet casings, from a Glock believed to be Webster's, were later recovered from the shooting scene at Wayne and Rimmon streets.

Details of the incident March 21 that resulted in the shooting of Doherty and the arrest of Webster, 22, of Litchfield, were described both in testimony at the attempted murder probable cause hearing Wednesday in 9th Circuit Court, Manchester District Division, and the arrest warrant affidavit that was unsealed Wednesday.

The courtroom was packed with Manchester Police officers who listened intently as the sole witness, Detective Patrick Houghton, described what had initially attracted police attention. Webster, who is being held on $1 million cash bail, sat between his attorneys, Caroline Smith and Robert Swales.

Houghton said that after Webster was arrested and taken into the Manchester Police Department booking area, he told Detective Lt. Carlo Capano, “You might as well kill me. . . I'm going away for life.”

According to the affidavit prepared by Houghton, Webster also said, “If you want to talk to me, you'd better get on it — the window of opportunity is closing.”

But Houghton said that after waiving his Miranda rights, he refused to answer pointed questions and said he did not recall what happened the day of the shooting, and he only remembered being handcuffed and brought into booking.

After the court hearing, Judge Gregory Michael ruled probable cause had been found to bind over the charge to the Hillsborough County North Grand Jury. The prosecution has 90 days to indict Webster, although an extension can be sought for good cause.

Houghton said Doherty, 25, who is recuperating at Catholic Medical Center, did not know Webster prior to the shooting incident and identified him from mug shots on television. “He was 100 percent certain that was the person who shot him,” said Houghton.

Doherty had responded to undercover officers' request for marked units, and he and witnesses said the uniformed officer had been chasing Webster, identifying himself as an officer and yelling for him to stop.

They also said that after Webster's first shot hit Doherty's left leg, knocking him to the ground on his back, Webster advanced on the downed officer and continued firing at him.

Despite sustaining multiple wounds, Doherty was able to remove his gun from its holster. “He was able to return fire,” said Houghton.

Doherty's wounds were described in court documents as multiple fractures of the left tibia, a hematoma to his left thigh, two injuries to his small intestine, a laceration to the sigmoid colon and a “through and through” hole to the iliac vein.

In his court testimony, Houghton described the wounds as multiple fractures to the tibia, necessitating insertion of a metal rod, as well as the hematoma and injuries to the abdominal region and intestines. He also said Doherty sustained a pelvic fracture.



Read more details in tomorrow's print edition of the New Hampshire Union Leader, including what initially aroused officers' suspicions to Webster that evening.