On the evening of December 30, 2024, 36-year-old Jeffrey Stephen Prouty was fatally shot outside an apartment building at 97 High Street in Somersworth, New Hampshire. Police say the shooting happened at about 7:22 p.m. after a verbal argument; Prouty suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest, was taken to a local hospital, and later died. An autopsy by New Hampshire Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jennie V. Duval ruled the death a homicide from that wound.

Officers found a 31-year-old man inside the same building with injuries not caused by a gunshot; he was treated at the hospital and released. The New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit and the Somersworth Police Department are investigating. No arrests have been announced, and investigators are exploring whether the shooter acted in self-defense.

Anyone who witnessed the argument or was present at the scene and has not spoken with police is asked to come forward with information.