PHILLIPS, Maine — The Office of the Maine Attorney General is investigating the circumstances that led a Franklin County sheriff's deputy to fatally shoot a man Tuesday night in the town of Phillips.
Emergency calls reported seeing a man with some sort of gun on Salem Road, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols said in a press release.
Deputy Jesse Clement responded to the scene around 6 p.m. and found 61-year-old Lawrence Scott on the side of a bridge on Salem Road, according to the release.
Clement tried to talk Scott into dropping the weapon and getting some help, but he refused, the sheriff said. Scott allegedly raised a gun toward Clement, leading the deputy to shoot him.
EMS officials provided first aid to Scott at the scene, but he did not survive, the release stated.
One of the many called to assist on the scene was Sean Allen, Phillips' acting fire chief.
Before arriving, Allen said he was not aware of the nature of the incident, only that the fire department would help direct traffic.
Upon arrival, Allen said he and his volunteer firefighters were surprised by the incident and the scale of the police response.
Despite the shock, Allen wants to remind residents this event is not common.
"I think it's very important for the locals to know that this is an abnormal incident for the area," Allen said on a phone call. "Even though it is a surprising and shocking situation, someone did end up ultimately losing their life. In a very unfortunate situation, all around."
Clement will be placed on administrative leave while the attorney general's office investigates the incident, which is standard protocol in these situations.