Investigators found a body Saturday in the debris of a burned down Auburn home where an occupant had called 911 from earlier in the morning for an incident that led to an hours-long standoff and fatal police shooting.
The state fire marshal’s office located the body in the fire debris at a home on Russell Avenue, according Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
A woman in the Russell Avenue home called 911 around 1 a.m. Saturday and reported a man was trying to break into her home and was fighting her significant other, Auburn Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said during a Saturday afternoon press conference. Dispatchers could hear shots being fired during the call.
The woman, who identified the man breaking in as Leein Hinkley, 43, escaped through a window. Police responding observed a Russell Avenue house on fire and heard screaming from inside the home. The other man was not accounted for, Cougle said during the press conference.
Hinkley shot at Auburn police officers who responded to the scene then fled to a nearby garage and later another Russell Avenue residence, Cougle said. During this time, another home on the street caught on fire and later burned down. It’s not clear what caused the fires at the homes.
Two members of the Maine State Police tactical team fatally shot Hinkley, who reportedly had a firearm, on the roof of the home shortly after 5:30 a.m., according to police.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta will identify the body found in the debris.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident, and the Maine attorney general’s office is investigating the fatal shooting by police.
