Police responding to a domestic disturbance call in Westbrook, Maine, over the weekend shot and killed a man who refused to surrender and advanced upon officers.
Westbrook police responded to a call about a domestic disturbance around 3:30 a.m. Saturday on Arlington Avenue, according to News Center Maine. The woman who called police said her son, who suffered from mental illness, was hurting them and she was scared.
The son, identified as 34-year-old Ryan Nichols, had an active felony warrant for assault, police said.
Responding officers attempted to take Nichols into custody, but he resisted arrest and fled to a nearby house. Police said they then used what they described as "less lethal weapons" in an effort to subdue Nichols, without success. Nichols then armed himself with "metal objects" and advanced toward police, ignoring commands to surrender.
At this point, two Westbrook officers shot NIchols, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave. The case is now being investigated by the Maine Attorney General's Office, which is standard practice in cases involving police shootings.
