The York County sheriff on Sunday identified the deputy who shot and killed an armed robbery suspect in the Dollar General store in Limerick on Friday night, but said the identity of the deceased has’t been confirmed yet.
A spokesman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office said, however, that authorities have a “pretty good idea” who the man was.
Deputy Sheriff Robert Carr opened fire inside the store during a confrontation with a person whose identity investigators “have yet to confirm,” Sheriff William King said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
Police had received reports that there was an armed robbery in progress at Dollar General.
“Deputy Carr engaged in an armed confrontation with the suspect when the deputy entered the store in response to a report that an employee was being held and threatened at gunpoint,” King said.
The state medical examiner’s office determined Sunday that the person died of a single gunshot wound, according to King.
As is standard procedure when police use deadly force, the Maine Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation. Carr is on administrative leave, which is also customary in such situations, King noted.
King said he could provide no further details about the incident or what led to it until the investigation by the Attorney General’s Office is complete.
But in a telephone interview Sunday night, Marc Malon, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said: “Authorities have a pretty good idea of who the suspect is. They are continuing to work with the medical examiner’s office to make a positive identification.”
Malon explained that the York County Sheriff’s Office does not want to release the name of the suspect until it has 100 percent confirmation – a process he said should wrap up soon. Incorrectly identifying the man is something authorities would like to avoid, Malon said.
Malon said he was not at liberty to provide more details about what steps are being taken to confirm the man’s identity.
The Dollar General store was closed on Saturday, with crime-scene cleaners parked outside. Employees turned away customers and directed reporters to a nationwide corporate media relations phone line.
In an email Sunday, Mary Kathryn Colbert, a spokeswoman for Dollar General, declined to answer questions about what happened at the store or the welfare of employees.
“At this time, we are referring all inquiries to local authorities so as not to hinder their ongoing investigation,” she said.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
