A Maine State Police sergeant shot and wounded a man during an armed confrontation in Aroostook County on Friday, according to state police.
Three troopers went to the Oakfield Thriftway store on Ridge Road just after 11 a.m. to arrest John Corneil, 54, of Smyrna as part of an ongoing investigation, said state police spokesman Stephen McCausland. Oakfield is a town west of Houlton.
The troopers tried to arrest Corneil on warrants charging him with assault, criminal threatening, terrorizing, and reckless conduct related to an incident earlier in the week in Smyrna, according to McCausland. Corneil threatened troopers with a handgun, according to Lt. Col. John E. Cote, deputy chief of the state police. Sgt. Chad Fuller, a 20-year veteran of the state police, fired and struck Corneil. Corneil’s weapon was later determined to be a pellet gun that resembled a Beretta 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The incident was witnessed by several store customers.
Corneil was treated at a Houlton hospital for gunshot wounds, and later underwent surgery at a Bangor hospital, where he was being treated Friday night, according to McCausland.
As is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting, Fuller has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated by the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier contributed to this report.
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