To the Editor:
Our community mourns the killing of Nickenley Turenne, whose life was taken by police in Manchester on December 6, 2025. This loss forces us to reengage in the conversation to address the longstanding and deeply troubling pattern of police violence that continues to disproportionately impact Black communities. Across the country, Black people are more likely to be stopped, pursued, and subjected to force by law enforcement, yet police involved shootings rarely result in individual charges or meaningful accountability. Time and again, investigations move slowly, conclusions are foregone, and families are left without answers while systems protect themselves.
Since learning about this tragic event, we have been calling for accountability, transparency, and true justice. The public has a right to know what happened, and that requires the immediate and full release of all relevant evidence, including body worn camera footage, dispatch communications, and investigative findings. Delays, partial disclosures, and silence only deepen harm and reinforce the perception that law enforcement operates above scrutiny rather than within it. BLMNH and NHCJE met with Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais and Police Chief Peter Marr to seek clarity and understand the status of the investigation, timeline and procedures dictating police involved shootings.
During the meeting, Mayor Ruais and Chief Marr shared that one officer has been interviewed for the investigation with the remaining two involved officers’ interviews pending; the names of the officers involved will be released to the public once all interviews have been completed. Both the Mayor and the Chief communicated their support to publicly release the body camera footage pending approval from the NH Department of Justice as they complete their investigation. Chief Marr shared that the Axon body cameras used by MPD are designed to be tamper proof and all interactions with the device and associated footage are logged.
New Hampshire law is explicit in its intent to protect transparency. Under RSA 105 D, law enforcement agencies that use body worn cameras are required to establish clear policies governing their use, ensure cameras are activated during law enforcement encounters, and preserve footage related to deadly force or serious bodily injury. These requirements exist to safeguard the truth and ensure public accountability. Any failure to properly record, retain, or release this footage raises serious concerns about compliance with the law and the integrity of the investigation. Transparency is not optional.
It is a legal and moral obligation. At best, this family needs healing, and the opportunity to see the body camera footage.
We call on the New Hampshire Department of Justice, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, the Manchester Police Department, and the Manchester Mayor’s Office to take immediate and visible action to share the information that will help the community understand the events of December 6. This includes acknowledging the profound harm felt by Nickenley’s family and on the broader community, committing to a swift and transparent investigative process, affirming full compliance with RSA 105 D, and clearly outlining the steps being taken to prevent yet another life from being lost under similar circumstances. Trust is built through accountability. Accountability cannot be vague, delayed, or performative. It must be authentic, timely, and public.
We must continue the conversations that will result in rejecting the narratives that continue to criminalize Black existence. It is not a crime to be unhoused. It is not a crime to sleep in a car. These are conditions created by systemic failures, not individual wrongdoing. Responding to police presence with fear is not irrational or suspicious. It is a survival response shaped by generations of racial profiling, over policing, and violence against Black communities. No nonviolent behavior, no perceived noncompliance, and no expression of fear should result in death.
We are heartbroken and tired. Tired of vigils replacing justice. Tired of investigations that drag on while families grieve forever. Tired of narratives that excuse harm instead of interrogating power. Black communities deserve safety, dignity, and care, not fear, punishment, or death. Alongside Nickenley’s family, and the wider concerned community, BLMNH and NHCJE will continue to demand transparency, accountability, and systemic change. We will not be silent, and we will not accept another life taken without consequences. Black lives matter here in New Hampshire and everywhere, always.
Tanisha Johnson, Executive Director, Black Lives Matter New Hampshire
Anthony Poore, President & CEO, NH Center for Justice & Equity