The Maine attorney general’s office has determined that Fryeburg police officer Micheal St. Laurent was justified in the fatal shooting of Kenneth Ellis, a Massachusetts man, following a high-speed chase in January. Ellis was fleeing from police in New Hampshire when he crashed into multiple vehicles in Fryeburg. When St. Laurent approached Ellis, who had a knife in hand, and failed to comply with commands, St. Laurent shot him, fearing for his life. Ellis died at the scene. The medical examiner’s office found that Ellis had fentanyl and methadone in his system. Investigators concluded that St. Laurent reasonably believed Ellis posed an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death, as he was advancing on the officer and refusing to stop. The attorney general’s office reviews cases of police using deadly force. Danielle Hamalainen and Brandon Adjutant of Conway, New Hampshire, were also injured in the incident when Deputy Justin Groetzinger crashed his vehicle. Groetzinger sustained non-life-threatening injuries. St. Laurent’s actions were deemed justifiable based on the circumstances at hand.
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