Video footage appears to show a tense encounter between two police officers in Dexter, Maine and a man who was shot after becoming aggressive on Thursday morning.
Officers found 34-year-old Christopher Hongo after responding to a report of a man behaving erratically in the area, a press release from the Dexter Police Department (DPD) obtained by WGME’s Dan Lampariello reads. The footage that captured the incident appears to have been recorded from a nearby building. (RELATED: Video Allegedly Shows Maine Man Steal Police Car, Cops Shooting In Response)
JUST IN | Police in Dexter shot and injured a man early this morning after they say the man assaulted the Chief and another officer while they tried to arrest him.
This is the 3rd police-involved shooting in #Maine in less than a week. @WGME pic.twitter.com/fAsozjzxHu
— Dan Lampariello (@DanWGME) June 13, 2024
Hongo began behaving aggressively when Police Chief Kevin Wintle and Sgt. Gary Morin approached, yelling at the officers, the press release alleges.
Hongo appears to fight the officers as they attempt to place him into custody in the video, throwing punches and tussling with Wintle and Morin. The footage appears to show the officers trying to tase the man while telling him to “get on the ground.” Hongo then appeared to push both men down a nearby embankment in the video.
As Hongo began walking down the embankment toward the officers, two gunshots can be heard. Morin fired to shots at Hongo, injuring him, according to the press release. He was later transported to a nearby hospital. The extent of his injuries is not yet known, Bangor Daily News noted. Both of the officers were treated for injuries at a different medical facility, according to the press release.
Both of the officers are being placed on administrative leave as is standard practice in police involved shootings,” the press release reads. The state attorney general’s office will investigate the altercation.
