The Smyrna man shot by a Maine State Police sergeant during an armed confrontation at the Thriftway convenience store in Oakfield on Friday has died.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said John Corneil, 54, died Saturday at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
An autopsy was being conducted Sunday at the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, McCausland said in a press release.
Three troopers went to the store on Ridge Road in Oakfield, an Aroostook County town west of Houlton, to try to arrest Corneil on warrants for assault, criminal threatening, terrorizing and reckless conduct in an incident earlier in the week in Smryna.
As customers watched, Corneil threatened the troopers with what appeared to be a handgun. Sgt. Chad Fuller, a 20-year veteran of the state police, shot Corneil. Corneil was using what was later determined to be a pellet gun that looked like a semi-automatic pistol, McCausland said.
The Maine Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate the incident, which is standard in all police-involved shootings, he said.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less