Maine

Couple fatally shot in Maine as their children, ages 7 and 11, watched

The shooter was tackled and disarmed by several bystanders and is now facing two counts of murder

News Center Maine

A couple was shot and killed in Westbrook, Maine, on Monday night while their two children watched.

The suspect, later identified by police as 24-year-old Marcel Lagrange Jr., of South Portland, fled the scene before being apprehended by several bystanders.

STAY IN THE KNOW

icon

Watch NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

icon

Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.

Lagrange was arrested at the scene and is facing two counts of murder. He is being held without bail pending arraignment Wednesday afternoon in Cumberland County Superior Court.

The incident unfolded shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday when Westbrook police responded to a shooting complaint near the intersection of Main and Bridge streets, state police said. Arriving officers said they saw a man shooting a woman near a vehicle in the parking lot off Bridge Street.

A foot pursuit of the suspect began down Main Street in the direction of the Armory Apartments, state police said. The armed gunman assaulted a 75-year-old bystander before being tackled and disarmed by several other bystanders.

Police later found two people who had been shot and killed -- the woman near the vehicle and a man inside the vehicle in the parking lot off Bridge Street.

Also found inside the vehicle were the victims' two children, an 11-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, both of whom witnessed the shooting, according to police. The children were not injured.

Police identified the victims as 37-year-old Brittney Cockrell and 41-year-old Michael Hayter, both of Westbrook. The state medical examiner's office said the cause of their deaths were gunshot wounds and their deaths have been ruled homicides.

At this time, police said there is no known connection between the victims and the shooter.

The bystander injured during the pursuit, Fred Roukey, of Westbrook, was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland with minor injuries.

Contact Us