SCARBOROUGH – A man with a hearing impairment was fatally wounded Friday in an exchange of gunfire with police after an afternoon standoff in the parking lot of the Shop ‘n Save supermarket off U.S. 1, authorities said.

The man, identified as James R. Levier, 60, of Scarborough, was transported by ambulance to Maine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He had been undergoing emergency surgery at the Portland hospital, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

The incident began shortly after 3 p.m. when police were notified that a man with a rifle was pacing back and forth in the parking lot.

The man had pulled into the lot in a white van festooned with hand-written messages such as “give my life to free deaf people.”

Police cordoned off the area, and shoppers inside the supermarket and other stores in the shopping plaza were told to remain indoors until it was safe to leave.

After about an hour, Levier leveled his rifle at police and fired a shot, according to McCausland. One state trooper and three Scarborough police officers returned fire, the spokesman said.

It was unclear how many times Levier was shot. McCausland said there will be an autopsy.

The attorney general’s office sent a team of investigators to Scarborough, which is normal procedure in incidents involving use of deadly force by law enforcement officers.

McCausland had no immediate information about Levier or what prompted him to go to the parking lot with a rifle.