An autopsy on the man fatally shot by police at a Newport campground shows that he died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Stephen Bossom, 35, who was armed, was shot and killed by Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth York on July 15.
The state medical examiner’s office autopsy found that Bossom died from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, and suffered organ damage and severe blood loss, the Portland Press Herald reported. His manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to the Friday report.
The medical examiner’s office also reportedly conducted a toxicology report, but results cannot be released to the public without consent from Bossom’s family, according to the Press Herald.
Bossom reportedly believed that he was protecting the Sebasticook Lake Campground, where he and his family were staying in a camper for free in exchange for part-time work there. He had informed one of its owners of an apparent threat and urged her to call 911, the campground’s owners, Sharon Sheehan and Dan Wilbur, told the Bangor Daily News.
But when officers arrived, Bosom reportedly didn’t believe that they were police. Sheehan said that she heard Bossom ask officers for identification, and she could hear police repeatedly telling him to drop his weapon. She then heard four shots being fired, she said.
Bosom was shot and killed after he confronted York, the first officer to arrive at the campground, according to the Newport police and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office.
Police were responding to a 911 call about a social media post saying there was a person with a weapon at the campground, the agencies said.
Deputy York is on paid administrative leave for shooting and killing Bossom, according to police. The Maine Office of the Attorney General will investigate the deputy’s actions, as is standard following police shootings.
