“A report released last week found the use of deadly force by police against a man from Rumford last year was justified. Shay McKenna was not supposed to have a gun. Police say he did. Shay McKenna’s parents say their son feared police would find and kill him. Shay McKenna was out on bail, living in the woods and charged with manslaughter in the death of his brother. When he missed a court date, a judge issued an arrest warrant. Two days later, he was dead.” -CBS 13 News (WGME)
Read more here: ‘They murdered my son in cold blood:’ Parents upset after police shooting ruled justified (2024)
An arrest and charges by corrupt police officers in a small town negatively impacted our quality of life and support systems. We isolated in our home in fear of our lives. We hid our post traumatic stress disorder to protect ourselves from the police. And we felt like we were in danger given Maine’s past with the police killing people with mental health issues. A Maine attorney general has never found one officer at fault in a shooting.
The panel’s findings have been consistent since its inception in 2019: Mainers killed by police are typically male, have criminal records, access to guns and are in the midst of mental health crisis that is often exacerbated by drugs or alcohol. –Portland Press Herald: The root causes of police shootings in Maine are familiar. ‘Only the names change.’
Previous Coverage:
Learn more here: ‘They murdered my son:’ Maine family devastated after police shoot man accused of manslaughter (2023)
[Please note how WGME dehumanizes the young man who was shot by the trigger happy SWAT teams in rural Maine; he was accused of manslaughter but the entire family agreed it was an accident and the son who was involved was devastated, grieving, and traumatized.]
Related Links:
‘They murdered my son:’ Rumford family devastated after police shoot man accused of manslaughter (2023)
‘They murdered my son in cold blood:’ Parents upset after police shooting ruled justified (2024)
The Most Dangerous Moments of Our Life: Targeted by an Abusive Cop with Impunity Who Shot A Suicidal Woman During a Mental Health Crisis Four Years Later (2024)
Maine Police Shootings of Individuals with Mental Illness: Recent Incidents and Concerns (2024)
Surviving Injustice: Disabled Veterans Battling to Overcome a Defamatory Article in a Rural Maine Newspaper (2024)
“Veteran Advocates” Use Defamatory Newspaper Article & the Cops Who Created the Narrative to Bounce Medically Retired Disabled Veterans Out of Washington DC
Maine Newspaper & Police Department Leaders Assist Abusive Police Officer in Dehumanization of Disabled Veterans During a Mental Health Crisis (2024)
Citizen Complaint to Attorney General: Overview of Police Officer’s Disturbing History Prior to Officer Involved Shooting of A Suicidal Woman With Mental Illness (2014)
Friends of Maine woman left confused by police shooting (2014)
Deadly Force: Police and the Mentally Ill (2014)
Red Flags: Disciplinary History for “Aggressive, Intimidating” Maine Police Officer Who Targeted Disabled Veterans in 2010; 4 Years Later Involved in the Shooting of Suicidal Woman (2005)
Jennifer and Lee 