AG: Weare woman accused of Civil Rights Act violations for firing at man because he is Black
By Arielle Mitropoulos, Ricky Podgorski
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A woman from Weare is accused of violating New Hampshire’s Civil Rights Act for allegedly threatening a man because he is Black.
The Attorney General’s Office said that in October 2024, Diane Durgin, 67, drew a gun on the man and threatened to kill him when he mistakenly drove to her property to complete a prearranged purchase of a car part.
She allegedly repeated the threat after the man explained he was lost and fired two shots at his car when he drove away.
Investigators said the victim drove off the side of the driveway and into a ditch. He then ran to the end of the driveway and called 911.
When asked why she fired her gun, Durgin allegedly said she fired because the man was Black, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Durgin was indicted on charges of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon, and one count of attempted first-degree assault with a deadly weapon.
“The basis of the Civil Rights Act was enacted for these specific cases,” President of the Manchester NAACP Branch Arnold Mikolo said.
The attorney general released a complaint under the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act Tuesday.
The complaint requested a temporary restraining order, criminal prosecution, and civil penalty of $5,000 for each violation.
“Am I surprised this happened? No. Do I wish it would never happen again? Yes,” President and CEO of the New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity Anthony Poore said.
Poore added there is no place in the Granite State for this type of activity and behavior.
“At the end of the day, we’re becoming increasingly diverse and nuanced and complex, and there are some people that simply aren’t going to appreciate the beauty of that,” Poore said.
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