FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) – Condolences poured in Sunday to the families and friends of a veteran police office gunned down by a local man who, in turn, was fatally shot by a passing driver trying to protect the fallen officer.

Police Cpl. Bruce McKay, 48, was shot four times by Liko Kenney, 24, after a traffic stop Friday evening, police and prosecutors said. Kenney then ran over the officer and was shot by witness Gregory Floyd when Kenney refused to drop his gun, according to authorities.

McKay, who had a 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old stepdaughter, planned to be married in July atop Cannon Mountain ski area in town of about 900 residents.

“This terrible tragedy has impacted families, the Franconia area and the entire state of New Hampshire,” Gov. John Lynch said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers, and those of my wife, Susan, are with the family of Corporal McKay, whose courage, service and commitment to protecting others is an example for us all.”

Kenney and McKay knew and disliked each other. Kenney, whose cousin is famous skier Bode Miller, had been convicted of assaulting McKay in 2003, and Kenney’s family said the officer had broken Kenney’s jaw when he responded to an underage party several years ago.

“They had bad blood going for a long time,” said Kenney’s uncle, Bill Kenney.

Some area residents felt McKay was too tough on young people in town.

“He was a local law enforcement officer in a small town and he felt he was doing what was right,” said Tom Palmer, who owns the Stoney Brook Motel. “He created some hard feelings in town, but we were friends with him and he was always very professional with us.”

Police Sgt. Mark Taylor said McKay had been on the force for 12 years. He was the prosecutor for the department, which has three full-time officers and three part-time officers.

The Rev. Gary Hart of the Community Church said that during a harsh storm last month, McKay went out of his way to make sure the town’s elderly residents were safe and helped coordinate shelter arrangements. But, Hart told the New Hampshire Sunday News, “some thought he was rigid in coming down on the side of the law.”

Bill Kenney described McKay as a “rogue cop” who had targeted his nephew and family for years.

“McKay stomped on him when he was a teenager,” he said, referring to the party incident several years ago. Kenney’s family said he tried to pursue the matter in court but nothing came of it because there were no other witnesses.

Bill Kenney described his nephew as troubled, but not violent.

“He was definitely part of the family, but we all had a little bit of a tenuous relationship with Liko,” he told the Concord Monitor. “I consider him a loose cannon, volatile.”

Kenney was born in Easton but spent much of his early years in Hawaii, where his parents own a coffee plantation. His uncle said he had rough upbringing and dropped out of school by 10th grade.

Three weeks ago, Kenney started a new job at the Agway in Littleton. Owner Don Merrill said Kenney was a hard worker.

“He got along beautifully with the customers,” Merrill said. “He was learning all the ropes and doing quite well. He had a good future here.”

Rob Hayward knew both men well. He had been a friend of McKay’s since McKay joined the police department, and Kenney had been a close friend of his son, who was killed in a car accident in 2005. Kenney still kept in touch with Hayward and visited him Friday morning.

Hayward said McKay treated him with respect but said young people in town complained about problems with the officer. Kenney was “very, very afraid of Officer McKay,” he said.

“He was a good boy and I can’t understand what brought it to this,” he told the Monitor. “Officer McKay was a good officer. Those two had their problems, but I don’t understand how it got so escalated.”

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