Man kills his mother, passing driver in Maine shooting rampage

A Maine man shot and killed his mother while they were driving in a car Wednesday, then got out of the vehicle and began shooting at passing vehicles, killing another woman and injuring two other drivers before shooting and killing himself, police said.

The gunman used a revolver and an AK-47 assault rifle in the rampage, which appeared to have involved a mental health crisis, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said at a news conference Thursday, calling it "particularly devastating" for the communities of Sabattus and Lisbon, as well as "unfortunate and certainly unnecessary."

Maine State Police said the incident occurred at 4:14 p.m. on Route 9 in Sabattus, near the Lisbon line. Their investigation determined that 29-year-old James Davis III, of Sabattus, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by his mother, 47-year-old Christine Smith, of Sabattus. While driving on King Road at the intersection of Route 9, Davis shot his mother with a .357 revolver, who died at the scene.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.

The vehicle they were in then traveled across Middle Road before coming to a stop, at which point police said Davis got out of the car and began shooting at passing vehicles with the AK-47.

Katherine Williams, 53, of Sabattus, was driving on Middle Road at the time and was struck by gunfire. She was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where she later died.

Two other passing drivers -- 19-year-old Tyson Turner, of Jay, and 35-year-old David Wilson, of Hartford -- were also shot. Both men were taken to Central Maine Medical Center and are expected to survive. No one else was in either of their vehicles.

Police said Davis then shot and killed himself with the assault rifle.

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Autopsies will be performed on Davis, Smith and Williams to determine the specific cause and manner of their deaths, 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.”

Sabattus, a town with about 5,000 residents, is located in Androscoggin County in central Maine, just outside the Lewiston-Auburn area. It's the same general area where the Lewiston mass shooting that left 18 dead and 13 others injured occurred about a year and a half ago. In fact, the shooter in that incident was ultimately found dead in Lisbon.

More details on the Sabattus-Lisbon shooting investigation

Investigators learned that Davis, who lived with his mother, didn't have a driver's license or a consistent work history, and did have "a lot of firearms," Ross said. Before the shooting, he'd been at his father and grandmother's house in town.

"Throughout the day, he started to act erratically, and he started to say things that didn't make sense. He was also armed," Ross said.

Family members at the house tried getting in touch with Davis' mother, who was a kind of caregiver for her son, "able to calm him down when he has these types of issues," Ross said, and she eventually picked him up.

The subsequent shooting was reported "as a potential active shooter," Lisbon Police Chief Ryan McGee said at the news conference, with local law enforcement in the area immediately scrambling to the scene.

After fatally wounding his mother, Davis got out of the car and opened fire with the AK-47 at traffic headed into Sabattus from Lisbon, hitting several vehicles, according to Ross.

Williams, who had no known connections to Davis, "was just driving down the road in her SUV, several bullet holes went through the vehicle," he said, which traveled down the road and hit a house.

The two other drivers who were wounded called 911, but the incident soon ended — a witness saw Davis kill himself with the AK-47, according to Ross.

There was no indication that Davis had long-term mental health issues, but that was part of the continuing investigation, along with whether he'd used any drugs, Ross said.

More guns were found at Davis' house — investigators were working to learn how he acquired them.

Detectives and evidence response technicians with the state police Major Crimes Unit remained at the scene throughout the night and returned Thursday processing evidence and conducting witness interviews. Lisbon police, Sabattus police and the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office provided assistance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.