Authorities In Maine Shoot NH Man Accused Of Killing Wife And Young Son

A man from New Hampshire, who authorities say killed his wife and 8-year-old son, then fled to Maine, is dead following a standoff on the Piscataqua River Bridge near Kittery this morning.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokeswoman, Shannon Moss, says things started to escalate quickly when authorities in York got a call from a New Hampshire man who stated he had been arguing with his wife in Troy, New Hampshire. The man went on to tell police that the woman was now deceased.

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"New Hampshire State Police responded to the residence in Troy and located a deceased female. At approximately 2:30 a.m., Kittery Police located the male’s vehicle on the Piscataqua River Bridge parked on the southbound side in Maine. "

Personnel from the Kittery Police Department, York Police Department, Eliot Police Department, New Hampshire State Police, Maine Turnpike Authority, New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, and United States Coast Guard were called in to assist with the situation as it unfolded.

Both the north and southbound lanes of the bridge, which run along Interstate 95, were shut down for safety reasons through the morning commute, for a total of 7 hours. During that time, New Hampshire and Maine law enforcement agents tried to negotiate with the man.

But when the man got out of his vehicle and aimed a gun at the police, they took action and answered with deadly force.

"Maine State Police Trooper Craig Nilsen and two New Hampshire State Police troopers responded with deadly force. The male subject was located deceased in the water below and declared dead at the scene.  Law enforcement officers on the scene located an eight-year-old child fatally shot in the backseat of the vehicle.   This death is not associated with the officers’ use of deadly force. "

Both the Maine State Police and the New Hampshire State Police are looking into the deaths of the wife and child.

As is standard protocol when officers use deadly force, the members of law enforcement who were involved in the shooting will be out on administrative leave until the incident has been fully investigated.