The chief of the Maine State Police issued a public apology Thursday to the family of a 16-year-old Gray boy and that town as well as New Gloucester for remarks made by a sergeant the day of the boy’s death.

Col. Patrick Fleming said in a written statement: “I take issue with the statements made at the scene by State Police Sgt. Michael Edes.

His comments about police coverage in the towns of New Gloucester and Gray were insensitive at the scene of a fatal crash and were his own opinion, not the views of the Maine State Police.”

Fleming said Edes was speaking out of frustration, but that doesn’t excuse him.

“The scene of a tragic crash that took the life of a 16-year-old boy was not the place or time to voice personal opinions about law enforcement coverage,” Fleming said.

“The state police respect the decision of the voters of Gray and New Gloucester and we will continue to provide the most efficient law enforcement coverage to those communities as our resources will allow.”

Fleming said “our hearts and sympathy go out to the parents, family and classmates of Joshua Libby.” He said his department would “aggressively investigate” the crash.

Edes, who was at the crash site, told television news that he felt the town lacked adequate traffic law enforcement coverage.

A student at Gray-New Gloucester High School, Libby was a passenger in an SUV that collided with a van at the intersection of Bennett Road Tuesday afternoon, police said. A second passenger, 20-year-old Travis Dunn, also of Gray, was injured in the crash and taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The driver of the SUV, 18-year-old Benjamin Farynaz of Gray, also was taken to CMMC, along with the driver of the the van, Melvin Durland, 61, of New Portland.

Durland was listed in serious condition on Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Dunn and Farynaz were upgraded from serious to fair, she said.