Rumford man charged with manslaughter is shot and killed by police

A Rumford man charged with manslaughter who failed to appear in court this week was shot and killed by a Maine State Police trooper who was trying to arrest him in Rangeley Plantation on Wednesday.

Shay L. McKenna Oxford County Sheriff’s Office

The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit obtained an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Shay McKenna on a charge of violating his bail conditions Wednesday after he was seen carrying a firearm he was prohibited from possessing, according to police. McKenna was charged with shooting his brother on Dec. 19, 2022, and did not show up for his arraignment in Oxford County Superior Court on Monday.

Detectives looking for McKenna in connection with the bail condition violations found him in a van in Rangeley Plantation. A tactical team was called to the scene, and a crisis negotiation team notified McKenna he was under arrest, said Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

McKenna got out of the van with a ballistic vest and a rifle. Trooper Jeffrey Parks confronted and shot McKenna, who died at the scene, Moss said.

Parks was placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice.

McKenna had been out on bail after being charged with manslaughter in the death of his brother, 23-year-old Drew McKenna. When he missed his court appearance this week, a judge issued a warrant and set bail at $75,000 cash.

In court, Shay McKenna’s attorney, George Hess, told Justice Jennifer Archer that he hadn’t been able to reach his client but had talked with McKenna’s sister. She told Hess that she had sold the house where her brother was staying and he had to move out.

“He hasn’t left the state; he’s here,” Hess told the judge, the Sun Journal reported. “He’s just out in the woods someplace where he can’t be reached.”

After the shooting last year, Shay McKenna told a police officer that he had been arguing with his mother about paying his older brother, Heath, for shoveling snow. McKenna said he had the gun in his hand at the time, and went down a hallway to put the gun in his father’s room when his mother pushed him.

His father, Mark McKenna, told investigators that his son pushed her because she had not gotten him a candy bar, then argued with her about paying his brother for shoveling, according to an affidavit filed in court.

Shay McKenna said his parents were holding onto him when Drew McKenna came into the hallway to try to break things up, according to the affidavit. Shay McKenna said his finger hadn’t been on the trigger when he was “bumped by someone and the gun went off,” according to an affidavit.

A search of Shay McKenna’s room later turned up six firearms, including four loaded “AR-15-style” rifles, a .22-caliber rifle, and a Titanic .32-caliber revolver, according to the affidavit.

Shay McKenna had the 9 mm handgun in his pocket when police arrived at the home, according to the affidavit.

Material from the Sun Journal contributed to this report.