Father and Son Charged After Repo Agents Come Under Gunfire in New Hampshire

Two repossession agents reportedly took cover behind their tow truck as gunshots rang out and a laser sight was directed toward them. Body-camera footage provides investigators with evidence of the encounter.

November 6, 2026 — Two repossession agents attempting to recover a vehicle in Franklin, New Hampshire, early Friday morning found themselves taking cover behind their tow truck as gunshots rang out, setting off a police response that resulted in the arrest of a father and son, multiple felony charges, and a neighborhood shelter-in-place order.

According to The Laconia Daily Sun, Justin Renfrew, 41, and his father, James Renfrew, 74, were arrested following the incident at approximately 2:44 a.m. at their residence on Smith Hill Road.

Justin Renfrew was charged with two felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and two felony counts of criminal threatening with a deadly weapon. James Renfrew faces two felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon.

Neither repossession agent was reported injured.

Gunfire

According to a sworn affidavit filed by Franklin Police Patrol Officer Jeremy Sullivan, the two repossession workers were behind the residence attempting to tow a vehicle when a man wearing an orange T-shirt approached and allegedly fired multiple handgun rounds in their direction.

The workers took cover behind their tow truck.

The affidavit states that the man subsequently returned inside the residence, after which the agents observed a green laser being directed toward them. They believed the laser was attached to a rifle.

Responding police officers also reportedly observed the laser aimed toward the tow truck.

Officer Sullivan described the laser as consistent with a firearm-mounted aiming device, although investigators have not publicly confirmed whether a rifle was involved.

Sullivan and Sgt. Jonathan Francis approached through a neighboring yard and located the repossession workers behind the residence.

The agents told officers they had been wearing body cameras during the incident.

Body Cameras Capture Gunshots

Investigators subsequently reviewed footage provided by the repossession workers.

According to Sullivan’s affidavit, the recordings showed the agents hiding behind their truck while multiple gunshots could be heard.

Father and Son Charged After Repo Agents Come Under Gunfire in New Hampshire — Justin Renfrew, 41, and his father, James Renfrew, 74

The footage could become significant evidence in the prosecution, particularly given the defendants’ subsequent claims of self-defense.

Police identified Justin Renfrew as the individual wearing the orange shirt. According to the affidavit, he denied shooting at the truck.

His father reportedly acknowledged retrieving a 9 mm handgun after seeing an unfamiliar truck behind the residence.

James Renfrew told investigators he fired one shot into the air because he did not recognize the vehicle. He also reportedly admitted directing the laser toward the truck.

During his booking at the Merrimack County House of Corrections, officers reportedly discovered two 9 mm cartridges in his pocket.

Police have not publicly identified the repossession agency, its client, or the vehicle being recovered.

Police Surround Residence, Order Neighborhood to Shelter in Place

The shooting allegations prompted a substantial law enforcement response involving Franklin Police, the department’s Special Response Team, New Hampshire State Police, and officers from neighboring communities.

Officers surrounded the residence and ordered the occupants to come outside.

Four people eventually exited the home, and both Renfrews were taken into custody without further incident.

Police issued a shelter-in-place alert to nearby residents through the Nixle emergency notification system while officers secured the scene.

The warning was lifted after authorities determined the immediate danger had passed.

Franklin Police Chief Dan Poirier said investigators subsequently obtained and executed a search warrant at the residence.

Father and Son Claim Self-Defense in Court

During their Friday morning arraignments, attorneys for both defendants argued that the men had been startled by the arrival of people attempting to repossess a vehicle and had acted in self-defense, according to WMUR News 9.

Prosecutors challenged that position, citing the defendants’ prior criminal records and arguing that both men posed a danger to the public. They requested that the defendants remain detained.

James Renfrew became emotional during his virtual court appearance when prosecutors characterized him as a potential threat to the community.

“Your honor, I’m just an old man, who just lives at home,” he told the judge. “I don’t bother nobody. I’m not going to be a trouble to nobody. I just want to go home.”

Court records reviewed by The Laconia Daily Sun indicate both men have previous criminal case histories, although the records do not establish that every prior charge resulted in a conviction.

Ten-Year-Old Daughter Inside Residence

The arraignment also revealed an additional charge against Justin Renfrew. According to WMUR, prosecutors said his 10-year-old daughter was inside the residence during the incident, resulting in a child-endangerment charge.

Police evacuated the child and another individual from the residence during the emergency response.

The judge indicated that bail orders would be issued before the end of Friday. Both defendants are expected to face probable cause hearings at later dates.

Another Dangerous Encounter for Repossession Professionals

The incident illustrates the potentially deadly circumstances repossession professionals can encounter when attempting to recover vehicles, particularly during overnight operations.

While the defense maintains that the Renfrews were startled and acted in self-defense, the police affidavits describe repossession agents taking cover from gunfire and subsequently observing what appeared to be a weapon-mounted laser directed toward them.

The distinction between the two defendants’ alleged actions may become important as the case proceeds. James Renfrew reportedly acknowledged firing a warning shot into the air, while Justin Renfrew is accused of firing toward the workers themselves.

The agents’ body-camera footage may prove particularly important in establishing the sequence of events and evaluating the competing accounts.

For recovery agencies, the incident is another reminder that even routine vehicle assignments can turn dangerous without warning, and that retreating from an escalating confrontation can be the difference between surviving an encounter and becoming another industry tragedy.

Neither defendant has been convicted of the charges stemming from Friday’s incident. The investigation remains ongoing.

A Disturbing Parallel to the Murder of Jeffrey Lowe

For those who remember the June 2015 murder of North Carolina repossession agent Jeffrey David Lowe, the circumstances surrounding Friday’s shooting in New Hampshire are disturbingly familiar. Father and Son Charged After Repo Agents Come Under Gunfire in New Hampshire

On June 9, 2015, Lowe, 37, of Top Notch Recovery, was attempting to repossess a vehicle outside a Columbus County residence at approximately 3 a.m. when a father and son opened fire.

William Roy Kohler and his son, William Roy Kohler III, later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Lowe’s death.

The elder Kohler claimed he had been startled awake by noises outside his home and fired what he described as a warning shot. His son also fired, and four bullets struck Lowe’s tow truck. One struck Lowe in the head, killing him.

The similarities to Friday’s New Hampshire shooting are difficult to ignore. Two fathers and their sons, nighttime repossessions, claims of being startled by unfamiliar vehicles, gunfire and subsequent assertions of self-defense.

The difference is that the two New Hampshire repossession agents survived.

Lowe wasn’t so fortunate. He left behind four children and a grieving family whose lives were forever changed over the repossession of a vehicle.

The full account of Lowe’s murder, including eyewitness testimony from his girlfriend, who was inside the tow truck when he was killed, can be read in our previous report, 10 Years Ago – Father and Son Murder Repo Man Jeffrey Lowe.

Eleven years later, the Franklin shooting is a sobering reminder of just how quickly another repossession could have ended the same way.