The latest report from the Maine Deadly Force Review Panel shed some light on the eight police shootings they examined from last year that resulted in either death or serious injuries.
According to the panel’s fifth annual report released in January, mental illness, alcohol, and drugs were factors in most of the 2024 incidents.
“The population involved in these armed confrontations with police tend overwhelmingly to be male, many of whom have known and/or active serious mental health disorders, often exacerbated by alcohol or drugs and who have access to a firearm, in some cases many firearms,” said Maine Deadly Force Review Panel Chair Fernand LaRochelle.
He added, “Some also have criminal histories.”
“This is just a thumbnail description ...
