MANCHESTER — Police are investigating the shooting of a 25-year-old man found critically wounded in the driver's seat of a sport-utility vehicle Thursday.

Police found the SUV near the intersection of Jane and Nashua streets, where it had collided with a smaller vehicle.

The call came in around 3 a.m. as a hit-and-run report, but the responding officers found that was not the case when they saw the two vehicles and wounded driver in the Toyota SUV, Manchester Police Capt. Nick Willard said.

“We're trying to piece together the events that led up to that,” Willard said.

Police did not believe the shooting was random and were investigating whether it was connected to something that happened earlier, Willard said.

Residents in the area told officers they believed they had heard gunshots; the back window of the SUV was shattered. Reports at the scene indicated the man had been shot in the head.

The man, whose name was not released, was in critical condition at Elliot Hospital, Willard said, referring all other questions to Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin.

Strelzin said investigators were still checking out leads and speaking to witnesses. The exact location of the shooting remained under investigation and, as of 8 p.m. Thursday, no arrest had been made, Strelzin said.

“We know the general area where the shooting took place, but the exact spot is still under investigation,” Strelzin said.

He said authorities will anticipate being able to release more information about the shooting Friday.

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