KITTERY, Maine — A man was fatally shot by law enforcement Thursday morning on the Piscataqua River Bridge that connects Maine and New Hampshire after state officials say he raised a firearm following several hours of negotiations.
The man's wife and 8-year-old child were also found dead Thursday.
New information about the investigation was released Friday and can be read here: Man fatally shot by police on Piscataqua River Bridge likely killed his wife and child
Public safety officials closed the bridge—which carries Interstate 95 over the river and connects Kittery, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire—in the early morning hours after the man was located on the bridge by police following an emergency call of concern.
According to a news release and press conference held by Maine Department of Public Safety officials, the man called 911 at about 2:07 a.m. to report that he was involved in a fight with his wife and that she was dead. The emergency call was received by York police, and they notified New Hampshire State Police, who found the woman's body around 3 a.m. at an apartment in Troy, New Hampshire, about two hours away from York, Maine.
The man was located by Kittery police by about 2:30 a.m., shortly after the initial call. State officials said his vehicle was found parked on the Piscataqua River Bridge on the southbound side but still in Maine. Public safety officials then closed the bridge to traffic and attempted to secure the area.
"The bridge was shut down for several hours to protect the public, while negotiations were attempted [with the man] and the scene was secured," Col. William Ross of the Maine State Police said in the news conference.
State officials said the negotiations, which lasted several hours, were not successful.
The man, whose identity has not yet been released, then exited the vehicle and raised a firearm, though Maine public safety officials said he did not fire the gun.
Before the man could get off a shot, Maine State Trooper Craig Nilsen and two New Hampshire State Police troopers responded with deadly force.
"The man suspect was located deceased in the water below the bridge and was declared dead; he fell off the bridge," Ross said.
Law enforcement then found that an 8-year-old child was fatally shot in the back seat of the man's vehicle, though law enforcement said the child's death was "not associated with the officers' use of deadly force."
During the press conference at 2 p.m. in Kittery, Col. Ross said the investigation is ongoing, and the identities of the three individuals would not be released at this time.
Ross also confirmed at the news conference that the three were family.
"Husband, wife, and child," he said during a brief question-and-answer session at the end of the press conference.
Maine Department of Public Safety officials said the troopers involved in the fatal shooting were placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol, and a use-of-force investigation would be conducted by the Maine attorney general's office.
The bridge reopened to traffic in both directions around 9:30 a.m.
Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in the response. Maine State Police thanked many by name for their assistance. According to the release, they were assisted by the police departments in Kittery, York, and Eliot; New Hampshire State Police and the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office; Maine Turnpike Authority; and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The incident is being investigated by several agencies, such as the Maine State Police and New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Units.
Jessica Yario and Griffin Stockford contributed to this report.