Details surface in police shooting Officer used baton, pepper spray, gun

PORTLAND – A Waldoboro police officer who shot and killed a man during a confrontation after a traffic stop used pepper spray and a baton and apparently attempted to use his handcuffs, according to a report.

The Portland Press Herald obtained Officer Zachary Curtis’ “use of force” report under the Maine Freedom of Access Act.

The report doesn’t contain details. Those will come out later when the Attorney General’s Office completes its investigation.

But it does contain basic information about the confrontation on Sept. 23 in which Curtis fatally shot Gregori Jackson.

It noted, for example, that Jackson, 18, had been drinking earlier in the night before the incident. Jackson was free on bail on a drunken-driving charge, and the terms of his release prohibited him from using drugs or alcohol.

Police have said the car was driven by a juvenile and was swerving on Route 220 around 2:15 a.m. before the traffic stop.

Police say Jackson, who lived in Whitefield with his parents, got out of the car and confronted Curtis physically before running into the woods off Route 220. Curtis chased him, they struggled and the officer shot Jackson.

The report says Curtis used force because of “resistance, assault and flight by suspect.” It also says that Jackson was armed with Curtis’ gun, indicating a possible struggle over the .40-caliber Glock issued by the Waldoboro Police Department.

John Chapman, Curtis’ lawyer, said last week that Jackson tried to choke the officer and was going for his gun before the shooting.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave. He will be eligible to return to work on Jan. 1 if he is cleared by the state and an internal review by the town.