MAINE, USA — A Milford man who was shot by police during an incident in Alton on Friday made his first court appearance Wednesday.
Djvan Carter, 45, is accused of assaulting a woman passenger in his car, which is believed to have been captured in dashcam video that was released by the Maine attorney general's office.
The video shows state police approaching the car after it reportedly matched a "be on the lookout" warning for about someone allegedly involved in a domestic assault.
As Carter tried to drive away from the scene, Maine State Police Cpl. Blaine Silk reportedly opened fire. Carter seriously injured the woman in the car, but she was not injured when Silk fired his gun, according to police.
Carter faces charges of aggravated attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and terrorizing with a dangerous weapon.
Chelsea Lynds, Penobscot County assistant district attorney, said Carter was beating the victim in the head and the face with a hammer. He also is currently on probation for domestic violence assault, she said.
Carter made his court appearance on Zoom from the Penobscot County Jail, where he has been held since his release from the hospital yesterday. A judge set his bail at $100,000 cash.
Carter has previous out-of-state convictions, including assault on law enforcement. He was convicted for 17 years for shooting an officer.
"The nature of the charges is extremely serious here. Not only in terms of the assault on the victim, in which he was beating her head and face with a hammer, but also in terms of the fact that after that deciding he wasn't going to go to jail. He was going to have the police kill him," Lynds said. "That is one of the most reckless, dangerous things that a person can do and probably one of the most notable things in terms of bail and the level of danger to society here."
The AG's office is investigating Friday's police shooting, while Maine State Police is investigating the assault that happened before the shooting.
