Police Chief Michael Maloney of the police department in Greenland, who planned to retire in a few days, has been shot to death while trying to execute a search warrant, authorities said on Friday. Maloney was killed and four others were wounded on Thursday night at a home in the community, reported Attorney General Michael Delaney. “This is a tragedy for our community,” Delaney said. “Our law enforcement community is in mourning.”
The two suspects, a man and a woman, were found dead in the home after a long stand-off, Delaney said. Investigators believe their deaths came from either a “murder-suicide” or a “double suicide.” While attending a news conference on Friday, Delaney was asked why a police chief would be part of a dangerous mission so close to his retirement. Although Delaney did not answer the question directly, he said the officers involved were part of a drug investigation. The murder comes a year after U.S. cities saw an increase in the number of homicides against officers. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the number of officers who died in the line of duty in 2011 increased by 16 percent nationwide from 2010.
