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

GRAY, Maine (AP) — 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.

Earlier in the day, Davis was acting erratically at his father’s house, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said. Davis was armed with a .357 revolver, an AK-style rifle and, authorities believe, one or two other guns, Ross said. Family members have indicated Davis was experiencing a mental health crisis Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he was suffering from a longer-term mental health condition, Ross said.

Throughout the day, family members attempted to get in touch with Smith, who was the primary caregiver to Davis and was usually able to calm him down during erratic episodes, Ross said. Smith and Davis also lived together, he said.

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Davis met up with his mother later in the day and Davis shot Smith with the revolver while she was driving, Ross said.

“A very dynamic scene involving a mother and an adult child. So it has a domestic undertone to it,” Ross said. “Then you have random acts of violence at people that James Davis III did not know and did not have contact prior to shooting.”

After shooting his mother, Davis opened fire at other vehicles with the rifle, Ross said. Those shootings killed Williams, who had no known association with Davis, he said.

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

Williams, who went by Kay, 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 shot and 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 shootings remained under investigation Thursday. State police said they had no history of prior contact with Davis.

“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.

___ Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.