MEXICO, Maine — Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey released a report Friday stating a Mexico police officer who shot and injured a man in October 2022 did so as an act of self-defense.
On Oct. 13, 2022, Mexico police officer Dustin Broughton responded with other officers from Rumford to a report of a "domestic violence disturbance" on Roxbury Road in Mexico.
When officers arrived at the scene, they encountered Daniel Tibbetts, 22, of Mexico, who was armed with a machete said to be two feet long, according to Frey's report.
Frey said Tibbetts, who was told multiple times by officers to stop and drop the weapon, continued walking toward the officers.
Out of fear, Broughton fired one shot at Tibbetts. Tibbetts reportedly continued to walk toward police, now facing Broughton in what Broughton perceived to be an "imminent attack with the machete," Frey said Friday.
Broughton then fired two more gunshots at Tibbetts, causing him to fall to the ground injured, the report said.
Officers then rendered aid to Tibbetts at the scene, and he was taken to Rumford Hospital before being transferred to Maine Medical Center to be treated for his gunshot injuries, Frey said.
"Mr. Tibbetts later told investigators that he did not remember details of the incident but held no animosity toward Officer Broughton for shooting him," Frey's report said.
While Frey's office worked to investigate the incident, Broughton was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in the state of Maine.
After the Office of the Attorney General fully investigated the incident, Frey stated Friday that Officer Broughton "reasonably believed he was acting in self-defense at the time he used deadly force."