Maine police shot and killed a man they say fired at officers during an hours-long incident early Saturday morning that also involved two Auburn homes catching fire, according to Maine State Police.
Police identified the man as 43-year-old Leein Hinkley. He had been released Wednesday on a $1,500 bail following a probation violation related to a 2011 conviction for domestic violence, elevated aggravated assault and a recent arrest for domestic violence, according to police.
Police received a 911 call just before 1 a.m. Saturday from a woman on Russell Avenue in Auburn who said a man trying to break into her home was fighting her significant other, Auburn Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said during a Saturday press conference.
During the call, dispatchers could hear shots being fired. Police said the woman was able to escape the home through a window, but was later heard screaming from inside the home when it was on fire. The other man is not accounted for, police said.
At 1:15 a.m., Hinkley allegedly shot at Auburn police officers responding to the scene and was then heard yelling at police from inside one of the homes, Cougle said.
Cougle said Hinkley began shooting at police again just before 1:30 a.m. before fleeing to a neighboring garage on Russell Avenue. The owner of that home alerted police that Hinkley had taken shelter in his garage.
It was around this time that a second Russell Avenue home caught fire. That home, as well as the home that initially caught fire, both burned to the ground while a third home was also damaged, according to Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Cougle said Hinkley then fled to another home down the street, where he got on top of the home’s flat roof and brandished a gun.
Just after 5:30 p.m., two members of the Maine State Police tactical team fatally shot Hinkley on the roof of the home. Both officers involved have been placed on leave, which is standard practice whenever a law enforcement officer is involved in a shooting.
“It’s been an intense and tragic morning here in Auburn,” Cougle said. “Incidents like the one we have experienced today are most frightening for our community, especially in light of the events that took place this past October.”
