GRAY, Maine — A passenger in a car in Maine fatally shot his mother before shooting at passing vehicles, killing another motorist and injuring two others, before dying by suicide, state police said Thursday.
The shootings happened in the central Maine town of Sabattus late Wednesday afternoon, police said. The 29-year-old shooter was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his mother, Christine Smith, 47, of Sabattus, police said in a news release.
The shooter, James Davis III of Sabattus, shot and killed Smith and exited the vehicle after it came to a stop, at which point he started shooting at passing vehicles, police said. The shootings killed Katherine Williams, 53, of Sabattus, and injured Tyson Turner, 19, of Jay, and David Wilson, 35, of Hartford, police said.
Williams was the sole occupant of her vehicle, police said.
Davis shot and killed himself after the shootings, police said.
Police described their response as an active investigation and said they planned to release more information later. They did not say if they had determined a motive for the shootings.
“The three deceased individuals were transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where autopsies will be performed,” said Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for Maine State Police. “Detectives and Evidence Response Technicians with Major Crimes Unit South remained on scene throughout the night, processing evidence and conducting witness interviews.”
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Williams was brought to Central Maine Medical Center after the shooting and pronounced dead, police said.
Turner and Wilson were brought to Central Maine Medical Center and are expected to survive, police said. They were traveling in separate cars and were the sole occupants of their vehicles, they said.
Numerous police agencies assisted at the scene of the shootings Wednesday night, police said. A section of road in the area was closed for a time during the investigation and police asked the public to avoid the scene.
