State trooper shoots man in Limerick

LIMERICK – A Limerick man armed with a handgun was shot in the abdomen Wednesday by a Maine state trooper.

Thomas Harrington, 37, was confronted by York County deputies along Route 5 and later was shot by a state trooper after refusing to stop advancing toward him, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Harrington was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he underwent surgery and is expected to survive, McCausland said.

The shooting took place shortly before noon when deputies responded to a report of a man walking along the road with a handgun.

Harrington pointed the gun toward the deputies, one of whom fired a shot, McCausland said. Harrington then was confronted by Trooper Jack Dow, who fired the shot that wounded the gunman.

Dow, an eight-year veteran of the force, was placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.