AUGUSTA — One person was shot by an Augusta police officer Monday afternoon inside the offices of the outpatient clinic run by Riverview Psychiatric Center’s Assertive Community Treatment team.
Police and rescue units responded Monday to a report of an officer involved in a shooting at the Ballard Center, the former MaineGeneral Medical Center building on East Chestnut Street.
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Deputy Chief Jared Mills said the man who was shot was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center, and that there was no danger to the public. He said he was withholding identification of the individual until family members are notified. That identification was not available as of 9 p.m. Monday.
Mills identified the police officer involved as Laura Drouin. She was not injured, he said.
Mills said Drouin had responded to a request from mental health professionals who needed assistance transporting a client to the hospital.
“After contact was made, an incident involving deadly force occurred,” Mills said in a press release. He said the person was immediately taken for treatment.
“At this time the individual is listed in stable condition and will be identified by our department once the proper notifications to family have been made,” Mills said.
The Maine Office of the Attorney General has been called to investigate, which is standard procedure for all shootings involving a law enforcement officer, Mills said.
“Per our Standard Operating Procedure, Officer Drouin has been placed on administrative leave with pay,” Mills said in the release. “Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this heartbreaking incident.”
The shooting was reported shortly after 3:40 p.m. inside the former hospital. Initial radio reports indicated at least one person bleeding from the chest. There also was a report of a person suffering knife wounds to the arms and chest. It was unclear if the person with the knife wounds was the same person who was shot.
David Sorensen, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, later indicated the person was shot inside the offices of Riverview Psychiatric Center’s outpatient clinic.
“Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office have responded to a report of an officer involved in use of force in Augusta,” said Tim Feeley, a spokesman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, via email. “Any further inquiries should be directed to the Augusta Police Department.”
Drouin was 20 when she joined the department May 14, 2012, after an eight-month internship. She graduated from the University of Maine at Fort Kent with a bachelor’s degree in public safety and an associate degree in criminal justice. Drouin’s husband, Anthony Drouin, is also a patrolman with the Augusta Police department.
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