MAPLETON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — The Maine man accused of randomly shooting two people in Massachusetts appeared in court this afternoon.
Lucas McPherson, 25, of Mapleton faces over a dozen charges related to the shootings including attempted murder. His community is still surprised by what happened over the weekend.
McPherson is not only charged with attempted murder but also assault and battery of a police officer.
Police say McPherson shot a 33-year-old man in the abdomen in Duxbury, Mass., just after 1 a.m. Sunday. They say McPherson shot that man from a car and 20 minutes later tracked him down after finding the other man who’d been shot. None of their injuries are life-threatening.
Dillon Hadfield, also from Mapleton, was a friend of McPherson’s. He describes him as “always a kind-hearted guy, respectful” and that he “never even heard anything bad about the guy really.”
Other people stunned by what happened are McPherson’s own family.
His father didn’t want to go on camera but sent NEWS CENTER a written statement from his family:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this incident,” it reads. “We hope [Lucas] receives the care he needs in his struggle with mental illness.”
A judge ordered that McPherson undergo a mental competency test Monday. That should be complete in about three weeks.