A Maine man is facing a murder charge after authorities say he shot and killed his wife as she was in a car on Tuesday night.
State police said they responded shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday to assist the Oxford County Sheriff's Office with a shooting that occurred along Route 108 in Peru.
The sheriff's department had received several 911 calls reporting a motor vehicle crash. The callers said a truck had stopped next to a car and fired a gun into the vehicle.
First responders arrived and saw a blue Hyundai on the side of the road with a woman dead inside. The woman was later identified as 59-year-old Dale Gaudreau.
Investigators ultimately learned that her husband, 60-year-old David Gaudreau, had called several family members and told them he had shot his wife. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, he surrendered himself to state police and the sheriff's department.
He was taken to the Oxford County Jail and charged with murder, state police said.
State police said there is no threat to the public, and the incident remains under investigation.
News Center Maine said a stretch of Route 108 in Peru was shut down into Wednesday morning as a result of the shooting investigation.
"108 is closed till further notice from Main st. & Auburn rd intersection to Valley rd. Use caution!" the Peru Fire Department said in a Facebook post Tuesday night. They said in a follow-up post at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday that the road had reopened.
Schools in Peru, along with the RSU 56 towns of Canton, Carthage and Dixfield, were closed Wednesday due to the incident.
"Good Morning from RSU 56. There will be no school in RSU 56 today, 5/29/24 due to route 108 being closed still from the incident that occurred last night in Peru," the school district said in a message on its website. "This closure will not change the last day of school, more information will be coming out later today. Thank you and have a great day."
