The Maine Deadly Force Review Panel issued a report Monday on a non-fatal shooting by a Maine State Police trooper in Alton.
Djvan Carter, then 45, survived after he was shot in the chest by Maine State Police Cpl. Blaine Silk on May 26, 2023, on Argyle Road in Alton.
The panel does not decide if the shooting is justified, but looks at things police may be able to do differently in the future. Following the non-fatal shooting in Alton, the panel suggested changes like using binoculars and knowing what a car’s traction control system does.
The Maine attorney general’s office found Silk was justified in his actions in December 2023.
Police were responding to a report that Carter was hitting his girlfriend in the head with a hammer and was suicidal. She survived the assault but had skull fractures and multiple head lacerations.
When officers arrived in Alton, they saw movement inside the car that looked like someone hitting someone else, the panel said.
The people were told to leave the car but they did not. As the troopers approached the car, Silk was walking while Trooper Jacob Ferland drove. Carter then started to speed directly at Silk, the report said.
Silk fired seven shots as Carter accelerated the vehicle directly at the corporal, the panel said.
Ferland tried to accelerate his 2020 Ford Explorer into Carter’s car to stop it as he drove at Silk. However, there was a delay in acceleration caused by the traction control system that limits power if tires are losing traction or the steering is turned before accelerating.
The system can be turned off and troopers should be briefed on the pros and cons of it, so strategic driving decisions can be made, the panel said
Silk shot Carter through the windshield. The troopers knew bullets can change trajectory when shot through glass, and the panel said all law enforcement should receive training about that fact.
The two officers struggled to see into Carter’s vehicle because of a windshield glare. Binoculars may have helped that problem and it’s something other police agencies should consider, the panel found.
Carter has been in the Penobscot County Jail since May 30, 2023. He is facing charges of assault, possession of sexually explicit material and bail violations.
