LITTLETON - A man who reportedly shoved a rifle down his pants as he walked on Meadow Street in Littleton Tuesday crossed into the woods and shot himself as police approached, Littleton police said in a statement.

The shooting occurred at 1:08 p.m. in the woods between Home Depot and Meadow Street, police said.

Authorities are in the process of confirming the victim's identity and notifying next of kin.

The state Attorney General's Office and Grafton County Attorney's Office have been notified. An investigation is under way.

Littleton police said they were called to 970 Meadow St. for a report of a man walking down the road with a rifle hidden in his pants. A witness told them he saw the man “shove” the firearm in his trousers, walk across Meadow Street and into a wooded area in front of Home Depot at 895 Meadow St., police said.

Police said the man shot himself as they approached him in the woods, after he refused to comply with commands given by officers.

The man went by ambulance to Littleton Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

kmarchocki@unionleader.com