State AG investigates S. Gardiner shooting

GARDINER – The circumstance that set off the shooting of a Vassalboro man during an armed confrontation with police remained unclear Saturday.

The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating the Friday afternoon shooting of Jason Wentzell, 28, who witnesses said was waving a rifle while standing in the middle of Route 24.

David Loughran, a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said he did not know whether Wentzell fired any shots.

The Attorney General’s Office investigates all use of deadly force by police in Maine, and Loughran said additional details of the incident were likely to be released only after the investigation has been completed.

It wasn’t clear who shot Wentzell, and a spokeswoman from the state medical examiner’s office said no autopsy had been scheduled for Saturday.

Officials said Gardiner police Officer James Gioia and Maine State Police Trooper Chris Rogers both fired their weapons. Gioia and Rogers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after a shooting.

Gardiner Police Chief James Toman said police were called to the scene shortly after noon by a 911 caller in South Gardiner, a residential area that includes a small post office and some businesses.

“Our officer made contact with [Wentzell] as he was in the middle of the street,” Toman said. “An armed confrontation occurred and the subject was killed.”