By Tiffany Williams –
SKOWHEGAN, Maine — A New York man is dead after a chaotic confrontation on a quiet Maine street ended with a police officer pulling the trigger.
It happened Saturday evening on Water Street, just hours after the homeowner at the address had been found dead earlier that same day.
At approximately 6:33 p.m., Skowhegan police were called to the residence after a report of suspicious activity, according to a department news release. Officers arriving at the scene spotted a man and a woman walking away from the home and ordered both to stop.
Police say the situation escalated fast.
The man, identified as 30-year-old Kenneth “Carlos” Ortega of New York, allegedly refused to comply with officers’ commands. Investigators say Ortega fired a gun into the air, then turned the weapon and pointed it directly at responding officers.
That is when an officer opened fire.
Police say Officer Benaiah Willhoite shot Ortega as he allegedly aimed the gun at officers. Ortega was rushed to Reddington Fairview General Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The woman with Ortega was not shot. Police have not released further details about her role or whether she faces charges.
As is standard procedure in any deadly force incident, Officer Willhoite has been placed on administrative leave while the case is reviewed.
The shooting will be investigated by the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
Authorities have not said whether Ortega was connected to the earlier death at the Water Street home, but the timing and location have raised serious questions as investigators work to piece together what unfolded in the moments before the gunfire.
This is a developing investigation.