‘CREDIBLE PRESENT THREAT’

Woman Shot in Attempted Murder-Suicide Was Denied Restraining Order Against Shooter

The shooter’s conduct was deemed not to be a “credible present threat” before he shot the victim in the head.

A judge had previously denied a permanent restraining order to a woman who was shot in the head in an attempted murder-suicide Monday,​​ Boston 25 News reports, citing newly revealed court records. Richard Lorman, 55, shot a 33-year-old woman in the head Monday as she left work in Salem, Massachusetts, then killed himself with the same weapon, authorities said. The two had reportedly lived together in a condo in New Hampshire. The victim’s name has not been released, but employees of Doyle’s Sailmakers told Boston 25 that the victim was the office manager for their company. She had requested a restraining order against Lorman in September and been granted one by Judge Polly Hall on a temporary basis. But a month later, the judge declined to make the order permanent and dismissed the case, writing, “The Court cannot find that the defendant’s conduct constitutes a credible present threat to plaintiff’s safety.”