The peaceful state of Maine was rocked by multiple shootings on Tuesday that left four people dead and three injured. The shootings occurred at a rural home in Bowdoin and continued with gunfire 25 miles away on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth. Police have taken one person into custody, and there is no further threat to the public.
The shootings are part of a recent spate of mass killings across the US, including a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Sweet 16 party in Alabama. Officials have yet to reveal a possible motive for the shootings or the identity of the victims and the person in custody.
Residents and businesses in the area were ordered to shelter in place for about 90 minutes before authorities determined there was no threat to the general public. Police have declined to identify the victims or the person in custody, but one of the highway victims is in critical condition.
In Bowdoin, a farming community with a population of around 3,000, a home flanked by woods at the end of a long, gravel driveway was cordoned off with yellow crime tape, and law enforcement vehicles were parked outside. Investigators were seen moving about the scene, and witnesses saw hearses leaving the driveway.
In Yarmouth, police shut down the southbound lanes of Interstate 295, causing traffic to back up. Employees at Water Treatment Equipment Inc. locked the doors and pulled down the shades after being alerted to the lockdown, which lasted about an hour and a half.
Maine Governor Janet Mills tweeted her condolences and said she was praying for the injured. “Acts of violence like we experienced today shake our state and our communities to the core,” she said.
The town of Bowdoin has no affiliation with Bowdoin College, which is located about 10 miles away, in the town of Brunswick.
The shootings have shaken communities both large and small across the US, leaving many people feeling shocked and deeply saddened.
