AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — According to a newspaper report, a witness who says he captured the shooting death of Marine veteran James Popkowski on video says the veteran was carrying a rifle pointed down and away from law enforcement officers when he was confronted by them at a VA hospital in Maine.
The 37-year-old veteran had a rare form of leukemia and left the Marines in 2003 with an honorable discharge. On July 8, officers responded to a shot fired at the VA Medical Center in Augusta and confronted Popkowski. Investigators say preliminary information indicated the officers felt threatened. He died of a gunshot wound to the neck.
The Bangor Daily News reported that Paul Stevens of Belgrade says he agreed with the Attorney General's Office to keep the video confidential, pending the outcome of an investigation into the shooting.
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