LEWISTON – A man was shot by police late Wednesday after allegedly turning on an officer with a weapon in the police compound.

Vince Berube, 40, was shot in the gut as one officer fired and others rushed out into the compound. In all, more than a half dozen shots were fired.

A witness said the victim was armed with a hammer when he was shot. Berube was in the Central Maine Medical Center emergency room an hour after the shooting. A nursing supervisor did not know his condition.

About 9:40 p.m., two shots rang out from the fenced-in police yard at Park and Spruce streets. Seconds later, another six shots were fired.

The victim dropped to the ground, bleeding from the stomach and murmuring as police handcuffed him and called for an ambulance.

“Leave my wife alone,” the man said several times as he lay on the pavement.

Police quickly cordoned off the compound with yellow tape as they began to secure the area outside the police department.

A truck inside the compound, believed to have been driven there by the victim, was also secured by officers.

Police Officer Eugene Kavanagh was called out to the yard to administer first aid to Berube while waiting for United Ambulance paramedics.

Police came from all directions after an officer at the station began screaming: “shots fired in the compound!” moments after the first round was fired.

A lieutenant and a sergeant rushed into the compound, but it was unknown if either was involved in the shooting.

A man, who said he witnessed the shooting but refused to give his name, said there was only one officer in the police yard when the incident unfolded. He said it was that officer who fired the first shots.

The witness, who said he was walking down Spruce Street when shots rang out, said he first saw a man attacking a police car outside the station.

“This gentleman was beating on one of the detective cars with a hammer,” the man said. “There was a lady cop out there banging on a door trying to get other officers to come out. The man with the hammer turned toward his truck, like he was going toward the lady cop.”

The officer drew her weapon and fired, the witness said. Other officers then came out into the compound and there were more shots fired. The witness said the hammer flew from the victim’s hand.

While police began investigating the shooting, Auburn police sent an officer to Lewiston to assist at the scene. Police were also expecting Maine State Police and officials from the Attorney General’s Office.

The A.G.’s Office investigates all shootings involving police officers in Maine.

Police Chief William Welch and Deputy Chief Michael Bussiere were both called to the scene, but no further information about the shooting was expected to be released Wednesday night.

It was not known whether or not police had any earlier dealings with Berube or what brought him to the station Wednesday night.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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