Maine shooting suspect's parents are among the 4 victims killed, officials say
The victims in the shooting that killed four people in Bowdoin, Maine, on Tuesday included the suspect's parents, Cynthia Eaton, 62, and David Eaton, 66, Col. William Ross of the Maine State Police said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect, Joseph Eaton, is also accused of shooting three people, critically wounding one, when several vehicles were struck by gunfire on Interstate 295 in Yarmouth, a town about 25 miles south of Bowdoin, according to state police.
Among the first four victims were also family friends Robert Eger, 72, and Patti Eger, 62, state police said. Eaton's mother, Cynthia, and her friends the Egers were found dead inside the home on 1459 Augusta Road in Bowdoin, state police said. David Eaton's body was found outside in a barn on their property, state police said. The Chief Medical Examiner's office ruled all four died by homicide from gunshot wounds.
State police said Eaton had confessed to the shootings and has been charged with four counts of homicide.
On April 14, Eaton's mother picked her son up from Wyndham Correctional facility, where he had been incarcerated for two years, state police said, and she took him to stay at the Eger's home.
Eaton had been sentenced on March 10, 2021, and was brought in due to probation revocation, Anna Black, director of government affairs for the Department of Corrections, confirmed to CBS News. He was charged in Knox County Superior Court with aggravated assault, state police said. Prior to his time in Maine, Eaton had been incarcerated in Florida for assaulting a police officer and possession of a firearm, according to court records. He served 3 months and 14 days of his 3-year prison sentence, court records said.
He had been staying with his parents since his release, state police said. Four days after Eaton's release, on Tuesday morning around 9:20 a.m., Maine State police were called to a home in Bowdoin where officers found four people dead inside, authorities said. Investigators did not release the times of the deaths but said that a friend discovered the bodies after repeatedly calling the house but getting no answer.
About an hour later at 10:30 a.m. local time, police received reports of the shootings in Yarmouth. Police identified the victims as 51-year-old Sean Halsey and his children, 29-year-old Justin Halsey and 25-year-old Paige Halsey. State Police said no charges have been filed, but Eaton remains the sole person of interest.
Faris Tanyos contributed reporting.
