FRANCONIA, N.H. — Condolences poured in yesterday to the families and friends of a veteran police officer gunned down by a 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.

Born in Easton, Kenney spent much of his younger years in Hawai'i, where his parents, David and Michele, own a coffee plantation, according to his uncle, Bill Kenney.

"Basically, he had a rough upbringing," he said. "Going back and forth to Hawai'i, he never was able to keep his feet under him."

Liko Kenney didn't excel in school.

"He's not the type to be educated. He's self-educated, and that's kind of typical of his character," Bill Kenney said. "He wouldn't work for anybody, (and) he'd never have anyone work for him."

Kenney spent time with a famous relative, Olympic skier Bode Miller.

"They were cousins, and they had a bit of mutual respect," Kenney said.

"They're both the same level of courage."

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 this town of about 900 residents.

Kenney and McKay knew and disliked each other. Kenney 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 Bill Kenney.

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 he 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."

"It's hard to be a police officer in a small town," Hart added. "He gave his heart and soul to the job before he gave his life to it."

Bill Kenney called McKay a "rogue cop" who had targeted his nephew and family for years.

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 Concord Monitor. "Officer McKay was a good officer. Those two had their problems, but I don't understand how it got so escalated."