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A man shot himself in a parking lot behind the Mill Mall in Ellsworth at around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, drawing dozens of police officers to the mall property.
The shooting was a suicide, according to a local police official.
After the shooting was reported, dozens of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies sped to the scene, as well as other first responders, but they could not revive the man. The shooting happened near a family planning clinic, but it was not clear if the man had any connection to the clinic or just happened to be in that area.
Shawn Willey, Ellsworth’s deputy police chief, said only one shot was fired, but because of the location all law enforcement officers in the area were asked to respond immediately. The mall is located directly next to the local YMCA and is within easy eyesight of the city’s K-8 school.
There was no danger to the public, Willey said.
The incident drew dozens of onlookers. Parents were picking up their children at the school as police and others stood next to the spot where the shooting had occurred only minutes before.
