A Berwick homeowner acted in self-defense in May when he exchanged gunfire with another man and fatally wounded him.
Edward Badeau, 41, of Berwick went to the School Street home of 25-year-old Christopher Utt about 9:03 a.m. on May 13, and fired his gun into the air several times after exiting his vehicle, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Badeau then forced his way into Utt’s home, and both men exchanged gunfire at the threshold of Utt’s room, Moss said Tuesday afternoon.
Badeau and Utt were both wounded in the shooting. Utt was taken to Portsmouth Medical Center in New Hampshire, where he underwent surgery, while Badeau was taken to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The New Hampshire medical examiner’s office ruled Badeau’s death a homicide, but after a review, the Maine attorney general’s office ruled Utt acted in self-defense and will not face charges in Badeau’s death, Moss said.
Utt is still recovering from his injuries.
