BOWDOIN, Maine — A man who police say killed four people in a home in rural Maine and then shot three others randomly on a busy interstate highway had been released four days earlier from prison, a state official said Wednesday.
Joseph Eaton, 34, was released Friday from the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, where he had been sentenced in March 2021, originally on a probation violation related to a previous crime, said Anna Black, director of governmental affairs for the Maine Department of Corrections.
Eaton had a criminal history with offenses serious enough to have prevented him from legally possessing a gun in Maine, according to state records.
The shootings in Maine began in the small town of Bowdoin, where four people were killed Tuesday. Then a chaotic scene developed in which shots were fired at vehicles on an interstate highway over 20 miles (32 kilometers) away in the community of Yarmouth, police said. Three people were shot there, and one remained in critical condition Wednesday.
“This is an active investigation with a lot of moving parts,” Shannon Moss, state police spokesperson, said Wednesday.
The day before the shootings, an anguished man believed to be Eaton posted a roughly two-minute live video on Facebook criticizing people who he said are Christian and don't give people a second chance. “What good does it do to hate somebody?” he said, choking back tears on the video. “You know, it destroys you.”
On the day he was released from prison, the man believed to be Eaton posted on Facebook that he was feeling thankful. “It’s finally over. There are so many people I can’t wait to see."
Moss confirmed that state police were aware of the video, and that it’s part of their investigation.
Eaton, who was living in Bowdoin, was charged with four counts of murder but was not immediately charged in the highway shootings, she said. He was jailed while awaiting a court appearance. It was unclear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf, a jail official said Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Bowdoin homicide victims were identified as the suspect's parents, 62-year-old Cynthia Eaton and 66-year-old David Eaton, and their friends, 72-year-old Robert Eger and 62-year-old Patricia Eger, officials said.
State police didn't discuss any possible motive.
Transported to a hospital from the Yarmouth scene were Sean Halsey, 51, and his two children: Justin Halsey, 29, and Paige Halsey, 25. All three are Bowdoinham residents, according to officials.
The seven people shot Tuesday were the latest victims of mass shootings in the U.S., whose targets included a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee; a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, and a Sweet Sixteen party in a small city in Alabama.
Ian Halsey, of Bowdoinham, said that two cousins were shot and that his uncle suffered shrapnel injuries in a single car. One of his cousins is in critical condition, and none of the family knew the shooter, he said.
“They were just passersby in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said of his family. “It’s horrible what happened.”
A statement was given by the Halsey family Wednesday afternoon.
"My family and I appreciate the support and concern from our communities, families and friends. At this point we would like to thank all the first responders, law enforcement and medical staff that have provided such excellent care. Everyone is currently making progress toward healing and we are optimistic for full Recovery. Please accept our thanks and continue to provide our family the space and privacy to process and heal from this senseless act."
In Bowdoin, Denise Pride, 58, a neighbor who lives in a farmhouse down the street from the location of the four deaths, said members of the rural community were shaken by the tragedy. The house where the killings took place is in a wooded area of rolling hills and farms, and houses range from mobile homes to large estates.
Pride said one of the victims was famous for delivering baked goods to neighbors on holidays. “They were very kind people,” Pride said. “The neighbors were texting, shocked that it happened, and to them.”
Eaton was charged over the past decade with more than a half-dozen crimes and served an eight-month sentence last year for assault, according to state records. Past convictions included aggravated assault, a felony that would prevent him from legally having a firearm.
The origins and ownership of the firearms used in Tuesday’s shootings were unclear. State police declined to comment on the weapon that was used.
In Bowdoin, yellow crime tape hung where the shootings took place in a home flanked by woods at the end of a long, gravel driveway. Detectives and evidence technicians remained in the home collecting evidence late Tuesday, long after hearses left the driveway.
At one point, a woman spoke to police outside the house, then dropped to her knees and sobbed.
In Yarmouth on Wednesday, traffic flowed normally on Interstate 295, where a day before the three people were shot in cars and the gunman was apprehended.
The Cumberland County District Attorney's Office released a statement Wednesday afternoon discussing Tuesday's incident, and in part, highlighted current gun legislation and preventative measures.
Read the full statement below: