Newspaper sales rep shot, killed while walking in Manchester neighborhood

MANCHESTER, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – A Union Leader sales rep was killed Sunday night after she was shot in Manchester, N.H.

Denise Robert, 62, was out for her nightly walk when she was shot. A witness told police they found Robert laying on the ground around 9 p.m. on a grassy area along Ray Street near the intersection with Carpenter Street.

Family members said Robert was the oldest of 12 siblings, and described her as an exercise enthusiast who loved her Sunday night strolls around the neighborhoods in the north end of Manchester.

Robert's brother, Tom, said, "She's been talked to several times about walking by herself, you know, after dark, but you know, it was routine that she was in."

The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s or 30s with short hair wearing a white tank top. Witnesses reported seeing an older-model pickup truck, that may have been rust-colored, leaving the area at a high rate of speed.

Monday night, dozens of residents crowded into a fire station for a community meeting about the shooting.

"They're nervous, people are nervous about it," resident Christina Desjardine told FOX25. "The most important question to me is, it is safe now?"

During the meeting, police released a new image of Robert, a surveillance photo taken while she shopped at Walmart just two hours before her death. Investigators said they hope someone will recognize Robert by her clothing and provide new details about who she may have interacted with prior to the shooting.

"We're looking for anybody that saw something they thought was a little odd," Police Chief Nick Willard said.

The shooting is under investigation by Manchester police as well as the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office.

"It's extraordinarily rare that you have a random act of violence," Willard said. "Until we get the person responsible we won't know what the intent was."

Anyone with information is asked to call Manchester police at (603) 668-8711.

Cox Media Group