Maine officer who fatally shot man used deadly force before, police say
PORTLAND, Maine -- Portland police say an officer who fatally shot a man brandishing what turned out to be a pellet gun that looked like a rifle has used deadly force before.
Police say Sgt. Nicholas Goodman shot 22-year-old Chance David Baker. Police say Baker was walking through the parking lot of a strip mall Saturday screaming and pointing what looked like a rifle at cars. The weapon turned out to be a pellet gun.
Police say this is the second time Goodman has used deadly force. In May 2008, police say he made a traffic stop, and as he reached inside the SUV to arrest the driver, the vehicle accelerated and Goodman was dragged over 300 feet. Police say Goodman shot and killed the driver. The shooting was found to be justified.
Internal and external reviews of the Portland Police Department were underway earlier on Sunday after the shooting. State law requires the Maine Attorney General’s office investigate officer-involved shootings.
Baker was shot outside of a Subway restaurant by police just before noon on Saturday, CBS affiliate WGME reported. An ambulance took Baker to Maine Medical Center, where he died, police said.
An investigation found that Baker brandished a “rifle-style” pellet gun that had a “wooden stock and scope,” police said, according to WGME. Police responded to the shopping center area where the incident occurred following reports of a man walking through the parking lot pointing a gun at cars and screaming, the department said.
