Authorities are investigating after police shot and killed an armed man in Auburn, Maine early Saturday morning, according to Maine State Police, who say human remains were also found at a fire scene tied to the investigation.
The man shot by police has been identified as 43-year-old Leein Hinkley. The person whose remains were found at the fire scene has not been publicly identified.
Maine State Police said the situation began when officers responded to a home on Russell Avenue around 12:57 a.m. A woman called 911 reporting that her significant other was fighting with another person who was trying to break into her home with a gun.
According to authorities, the woman fled through a window when she heard gunshots, but was later found hiding nearby. Her significant other is unaccounted for, police said at a press conference Saturday.
The woman identified the man trying to break in as Hinkley, according to police.
A fire was burning at the original address of the call, police said, and officers reported hearing yelling coming from inside. Later, investigators found human remains in the fire debris, State Police said.
According to Auburn police, Hinkley fired shots at them and was heard yelling at officers from inside the residence. The Maine State Police Tactical Team was called in to respond at this point, around 1:25 a.m.
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Meanwhile, the flames had spread to a second home on Russell Avenue.
Hinkley left the original address and tried to hide in a garage, according to police. When the homeowner reported it to police, Hinkley went to another home on the street, continuing to yell at officers, according to police. Police said he was screaming from the roof of the home and armed with a gun.
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Neighbors were asked to shelter-in-place during the incident, reports NewsCenter Maine.
Hours later, around 5:36 a.m., tactical team members found Hinkley on top of a roof on Rusell Avenue. During the confrontation, troopers shot Hinkley, who died of his injuries.
Both troopers, identified as Troopers Scott Duff and Trooper Patrick Hall, have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit will investigate the series of incidents that led up to the shooting, while the Office of the Attorney General will be the lead on the investigation into the shooting itself.
Hinkley was known to law enforcement, police said, and had recently been released on bail for a probation violation. That case was tied to a 2011 conviction for crimes of domestic violence elevated aggravated assault as well as a recent arrest for a crime of domestic violence, according to police. The District Attorney's Office was opposed to his release, police noted. As part of his conditions of release, Hinkley was supposed to be on house arrest in Lewiston.
More details were not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
