Something Just Doesn't Add Up

Cpl Bruce McKay
(Town of Franconia)

A bizarre turn of events saw the death of two men this past Friday in the small town of Franconia in northern New Hampshire. Cpl. Bruce McKay, 48, of the Franconia Police Department was shot four times before being run over by Liko Kenney, who is half the officer's age. Kenney was shot and killed by a passer-by, Gregory Floyd, who pulled his car over after witnessing what had happened, grabbed McKay's service weapon and shot Kenney while Floyd's son used McKay's radio to call for help.

The two deceased, however, have a rocky history. Back in 2003 Kenney was sitting in a parking lot known to be frequented by dealers and addicts when McKay asked to see Kenney's identification. Kenney refused and eventually tried to drive off but McKay was able to block Kenney from leaving and a scuffle involving three other cops ensued, during which Kenney grabbed McKay by the family jewels and McKay responded by clocking him in the face. Kenney was charged with a slew of charges from the incident and the next month was caught violating his probation by Cpl. McKay. In an unrelated incident, Liko Kenney copped to choking a 15 year old boy in January of this year, so it's obvious that Kenney had a violent history. It goes without saying that Liko Kenney probably was not McKay's biggest fan and that McKay pulling Kenney over for a speeding violation may have sent the young man over the edge and pushed him to kill McKay.

The story takes yet another couple of turns before finally playing out completely, reading like a Law & Order script. Kenney's family has come out and said that McKay had harassed Kenney while upper level police officers called McKay a merciful officer who actually supported Kenney by pushing for a lesser sentence from their altercation four years ago. While this language is to be expected from both sides, a third party has entered the fray.

Liko Kenny (Honolulu Advertiser)

A Franconia resident (he's been named by other news sources, but I will not name him because I do not want him to suffer any harsh treatment from McKay's colleagues in the future) has filed a civil complaint saying that McKay had said that he would take great lengths to "get rid of" the man, all the while suggestively alluding to his weapon while in uniform and with his police cruiser. The outcome of the case was unavailable.

The man who stopped his car and shot Kenney after McKay's death, Gregory Floyd, has not escaped the long arm of the long in his past, either. Floyd, a former Marine, was charged with unlawful gun possession after his neighbors complained of his habit of shooting automatic weapons on his property and the cops subsequently found six guns.

So here's what does not add up: why was Kenney out in the streets after assaulting a young boy not 5 months earlier? Just as a quick summary, Kenney received only 15 days for assaulting a police officer and received only a $250 fine for choking the young boy earlier this year. I don't know how the justice system works up in Franconia, but repeat offenders usually at least get probation or jail time for assaults, not just a fine. 

Secondly, why was Floyd cleared of any wrongdoing so quickly after the incident? It took Franconia officials less than 24 hours to clear Floyd, who has priors involving guns. This is especially surprising because Floyd has told New Hampshire state troopers in the past the method that he would use to kill them and told them he was a good shot because of his time with the Marines. In the linked article it also says that Floyd had threatened a meter reader and had a felony drug charge down South (it was only weed, but still, it had to be a lot for a felony.) Additionally, if Floyd had time to stop his car, grab McKay's gun, point it at Kenney and demand that he drop his gun before shooting him, how much danger was he really in? Wouldn't Kenney just have opened fire on Floyd when he got out of his car, or when he grabbed McKay's gun, or he pointed it at him?

The scene of the incident (Police One)

So what really happened out on that road Friday night? To be honest, we most likely will never know fully unless Franconia cops have good cameras on all of their cruisers that actually work. Did McKay threaten Kenney, who already felt victimized by the officer, making Kenney feel like he had to defend himself, or, which seems more likely if this scenario is true, sending Kenney into a murderous rage? Or was McKay just doing his job and Kenney, a young man who had been on the wrong side of the law numerous times in his short life, just snapped? Did Gregory Floyd stop his car on the side of the road as a concerned citizen looking to help out, or was he attracted by the prospect of shooting someone, which fit in well with his borderline obsession with guns? There are so many scenarios that fit into this situation and there are so many questions that have yet to be answered, despite the investigation's hasty conclusions regarding some people involved. A comprehensive investigation that lasts more than a day or two needs to be undertaken in order to sort out the details of this incident, as many of the people involved have complicated connections to each other and to the situation that should not be ignored.