Claremont man indicted in federal gun case after alleged shootout

Federal prosecutors have charged Gerald Hayden, 45, of Claremont with possessing a firearm after a prior felony conviction, saying the case stems from an April 2025 shootout during a drug dispute in the city. Hayden appeared in federal court on June 9 for a detention hearing as the case moved into the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

The indictment says Hayden was already a convicted felon and was barred from possessing firearms when the alleged shooting occurred. That is what pushed the case into the federal system: possession of a gun by a prohibited person is a federal offense, and prosecutors are treating the Claremont incident as more than a local weapons complaint because of the alleged felony status tied to the firearm possession.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation, with assistance from the Claremont Police Department and the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Shannon and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin are prosecuting the case. Hayden remains presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

The federal felon-in-possession charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. In practical terms, the next steps will move through federal court proceedings, including continued review of detention and pretrial issues before any trial or other resolution.

The case has immediate local weight in Sullivan County, where the 2020 Census counted 43,063 residents and Claremont stands as one of the county’s principal population centers. Allegations involving gunfire and drugs in that setting resonate beyond a single arrest, especially as federal prosecutors in New Hampshire continue to frame prohibited-person firearm cases as public-safety matters with broader community consequences.