Maine

3 Killed, 1 Wounded in Shootings Along Maine Road; Gunman Dead

The shootings are being investigated as a domestic violence homicide

Three people were killed and another wounded by a gunman who was later fatally shot by police on Wednesday morning in central Maine.

State police said the shootings were reported after 7:30 a.m. at multiple scenes along Russell Road in Madison, which runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds.

A short time after the four victims were shot, the gunman - identified by police as Carroll Tuttle, the husband of one of the victims - was shot and killed after being confronted by Somerset County deputies, according to authorities.

No officers were injured in the encounter.

The victims who were killed were Tuttle's wife, 52-year-old Lori Hayden, their 25-year-old son Dustin and 57-year-old neighbor Michael Spaulding. The wounded victim, 57-year-old Harvey Austin, is distantly related to Lori Hayden, according to police. He remains hospitalized and his condition was not immediately available.

Lori Hayden is the daughter of Skowhegan Selectwoman Darla Pickett.

Police said they still don't know what sparked the violence, but they are investigating the shooting as a domestic violence homicide.

Michael Spaulding’s son, Michael Spaulding Jr., said his father may have been killed in a jealous fit of rage. He said Tuttle accused his father of having an affair with Hayden.

“It was a very irrational situation, from what I do understand,” Spaulding said. “It’s not fair.”

He described his father as a well-liked man in the community, who worked many years at the Madison paper mill.

“He was the nicest man I’ve ever known,” said Spaulding. “I can’t even express how terrible I feel, and how terrible today has been.”

Sheriff's deputies confronted Tuttle after he came back to the crime scene, which led to him being shot to death.

Russell Road was closed as investigators reviewed multiple crime scenes and is likely to stay closed for the rest of the day.

Wednesday's shooting is the deadliest in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed three people before taking his own life in Oakland.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us