A Maine man has been charged with murder after killing four people in a home before shooting three more on a nearby highway shortly thereafter.
Authorities arrested Joseph Eaton, 34, hours after he opened fire in Bowdoin, Maine, on Interstate 295 Tuesday morning.
Law enforcement rushed to the scene in Bowdoin at 10:30 a.m. and found four victims, before hearing reports of multiple people being shot in cars driving along the highway about 25 miles from the first shooting.
It was not disclosed how Eaton was detained. However, officials quickly connected the shootings, and he is currently in custody and expected to appear in court later this week.
Joseph Eaton, 34, has been arrested in connection with multiple shootings in Maine that left four dead and several others injured.
One of the suspects was seen wearing handcuffs in police custody. Shortly after this photo was taken, he was taken away
This is the scene of the shooting that took place along Interstate 295 in Yarmouth, Maine
Bullet holes can be seen in the windshield of the silver sedan that was involved in the shooting
Maine Police continue to search the area where the suspect was taken into custody out of an abundance of caution
Maine State Police confirmed that there was no further threat to the public after the suspect linked to the shooting was taken into custody. Authorities have not yet discussed a motive.
“A person of interest has been arrested, and the incidents are linked,” Maine State Police Lt. Randall Kitten said of his description before his arrest.
An eyewitness to the interstate shooting told CBS News affiliate WGME-TV, “We just saw a plume of smoke.” And my friend in the van was like, “I think this is gunpowder, like gun smoke.”
The three motorists who were shot were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, state police said, with one of them still in critical condition.
On Facebook, Bodenham resident Ian Halsey said some of the victims were his cousins. My cousin is in critical condition and my other cousin is in stable condition. There is no relationship between the victims. ‘It was just random to shoot my family,’ said Halsey The Portland Press Herald.
Maine Police continue to search the area where the suspect was taken into custody out of an abundance of caution.
said Lisa Erickson The Portland Press Herald that she heard gunshots near her home in Yarmouth, and a few minutes later her neighborhood was swarming with police officers.
Erickson said the officers who responded told her and her neighbors to stay indoors while the search was conducted. The suspect’s abandoned car was left near the woman’s home.
Alex Haskell from WGME-TV Post a video On social media a suspect in custody is shown speaking with police officers. Shortly after he made the video, Haskell said, the man was whisked away.
A car seen in the Haskell video had numerous bullet holes in the windshield.
The town of Yarmouth has a population of about 9,000 and is located about 12 miles north of Maine’s largest city, Portland. Bowdoin is a small farming community of about 3,000 residents.
A police officer stands guard in Yarmouth as residents have been told to take cover after the shooting
“We are confident that there is no imminent threat to the general public at this time,” said Sagadahoke County Sheriff Joel Merry, whose deputies were assisting in Bowdoin. Refer questions to the state police.
At the Bowdoin Theatre, yellow crime scene tape hung around a house with a long gravel driveway in a wooded area.
About 10 unmarked and unmarked law enforcement vehicles and a crime scene truck were stopped outside while the detectives moved around and talked.
In Yarmouth, traffic backed up on the motorway as police closed off the southern lanes, and state, county and local police swept the area.
Maine Department of Transportation representatives said they closed the south side of I-295 in Yarmouth late in the morning at the request of state police.
Police briefly ordered people in nearby neighborhoods to take cover, but authorities later announced that there was no threat to the public.
Lenora Felker, who works near the interstate at Rosemont Market and Bakery, said she felt something afoot as people began pouring in, saying the interstate was closed, and was followed by dozens of law enforcement officers who descended on the area.
Felker said officers searched businesses and asked if they saw “anyone wet or muddy fleeing.” But she said she knew all of the clients and hadn’t seen anything “out of the ordinary”.
