A Maine State Police tactical team shot and killed a man who opened fire on officers on a rooftop after an hours-long standoff that left two homes burning.
AUBURN, Maine — Maine State Police Special Forces shot and killed a man on a rooftop early Saturday after an hours-long standoff in which the man opened fire on officers, two homes were burned down and a person is still missing after fighting the gunman, authorities said.
Police issued shelter-in-place orders in Auburn, evacuated homes and closed some roads, evoking memories of the mass shooting in neighboring Lewiston less than eight months ago, when a gunman killed 18 people and injured 13 more in the deadliest mass shooting in Maine’s history.
“It’s been a tense and tragic morning here in Auburn, especially given the events that occurred last October,” said the city’s Deputy Police Chief Timothy Kugle.
Police said the suspect, Leanne Hinckley, 43, had been released on bail for a probation violation a few days earlier when she tried to break into a home just before 1 a.m. Saturday and got into a fight with a man inside. A woman called 911 after hearing gunshots and escaped through a window.
Auburn Police Department officers found a woman hiding down the street about 10 minutes later and identified the intruder as Hinckley. Officers heard screams from inside the home and saw flames coming from a window and engulfing the building. The man who had fought with Hinckley remains missing, Coogle said.
According to deputies, Auburn Police called in their tactical team after Hinckley fired multiple shots at officers and could be heard yelling at officers from inside the car.
Police responded to a call about a fire at another home down the street shortly before 1:30 a.m. Hinckley fled and briefly hid in a neighbor’s garage before running into a one-story home down the street, where he “began yelling” and brandishing a gun, police said.
Photos from the scene showed several vehicles parked next to the home also burned, including a yellow school bus.
Maine State Police Col. William Ross said a tactical team found Hinckley with a gun on a rooftop just after 5:30 a.m. and two officers shot and killed him shortly after. Ross did not provide details about what happened during the four-hour standoff.
Auburn Fire Department Capt. Chris Mollett said there were three explosions that appeared to be related to the fire around 2:15 a.m., according to the Lewiston Sun-Journal. An explosion was also heard shortly before 3 a.m., the paper reported.
Ross said Hinckley had been in custody on a probation violation related to a 2011 conviction for domestic violence and felonious assault, as well as a recent domestic violence arrest, but was released Wednesday after a judge lowered his bail to $1,500 with conditions including house arrest at a Lewiston residence.
The Lewiston Sun Journal reported in 2012 that Hinckley, of Sabattus, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the double stabbing of his ex-girlfriend and a good Samaritan who tried to stop the incident.
Ross said the state police’s Major Crimes Unit will investigate any criminal activity and the attorney general’s office will investigate the police shooting. The two officers involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
