Man kills mother in moving car, then kills passing motorist and injures others, Maine police say

GRAY, Maine — A passenger in a car in Maine fatally shot his mother before shooting at passing vehicles, killing another motorist and injuring two others, then died by suicide, state police said Thursday.

The shootings happened in the central Maine town of Sabattus late Wednesday afternoon, police said. The 29-year-old shooter was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his mother, Christine Smith, 47, of Sabattus, police said in a news release.

The shooter, James Davis III, of Sabattus, shot and killed Smith and exited the vehicle after it came to a stop, at which point he started shooting at passing vehicles, police said. The shootings killed Katherine Williams, 53, of Sabattus, and injured Tyson Turner, 19, of Jay, and David Wilson, 35, of Hartford, police said.

Williams was the sole occupant of her vehicle, police said.

Williams was the kitchen manager at two schools in Litchfield, where she had a remarkable ability to build strong connections with students and staff, Superintendent Katherine Grondin said in an email.

"Her kindness and dedication made a lasting impact on our school community, and she will be deeply missed," Grondin said. "Our hearts go out to her family as they navigate this loss. It has been a difficult day for all of us as we mourn the passing of a valued and beloved member of our school family."

Davis killed himself after the shootings, police said.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Williams was brought to Central Maine Medical Center after the shooting and pronounced dead, police said.

Turner and Wilson were brought to Central Maine Medical Center and are expected to survive, police said. They were traveling in separate cars and were the sole occupants of their vehicles, they said.

Police said the investigation was continuing and that they planned to release more information later. They did not say if they had determined a motive for the shootings.

"The three deceased individuals were transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where autopsies will be performed," said Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for Maine State Police.

Numerous police agencies assisted at the scene of the shootings Wednesday night, police said. A section of road in the area was closed for a time during the investigation, and police asked the public to avoid the scene.

Contributing: Holly Ramer

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