PORTLAND, Maine — A shooting on April 24 in Bangor. A fatal shooting that left a man dead and a woman injured in Portland on April 26. A gunshot wound to a woman in Lewiston the morning of April 28.
All of these gun violence incidents occurred within a span of days. As of Thursday evening, none have led to any arrests. The fatal shooting is being investigated as a homicide by Portland police.
While violence on any scale is concerning, University of Southern Maine criminology professor Brendan McQuade said the recent shootings don’t predict increased violence.
“What really matters here is the long-term trend, and the long-term trend here remains pretty stable,” McQuade said. “If it becomes three murders a week, then that’s something of note.”
None of the involved police agencies were available to comment about any potential increase in gun violence.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maine has the second highest gun mortality rate among New England states, second only to Vermont.
McQuade said any recent rise in gun violence may be attributed to domestic issues.
“The person who is most likely to violently victimize you is someone you know, and you probably have a good idea of who that person might be,” McQuade said. “Based on what is the most strange relationship in your life, who is the person you know in the most desperate, difficult circumstances, those are the people most likely to be involved in violent crime.”
The Portland Police Department wouldn’t comment on the ongoing homicide investigation but said it’s working to compile recent shooting data.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified which agency was investigating the fatal Portland shooting incident. Maine State Police have listed the death as a homicide, and the Portland Police Department is investigating.