On Monday, Joseph Eaton of Bowdoin, Maine made a decisive statement in a cryptic Facebook video. He begged for forgiveness, acknowledging a traumatic past but hinting at grievances yet to come. The truth of his words echoed through the town on Wednesday when investigators revealed the gruesome act for which Eaton was now facing charges.
The 34-year-old had just been released from the Windham Correctional Center the day before the shooting, after serving a two-year sentence for aggravated assault and concealed weapons charges in Florida. Cynthia Eaton, his mother, was seen picking him up from the center, little knowing what tragedy lay in store for them at their home on Augusta Road.
At 9:21 a.m., the Sagadahoc County Sheriffs received a 911 call from a family friend who had walked into the home and discovered a gruesome scene – four bodies lay dead, all of them shot. Police identified them as homeowners Robert and Patricia Eger, both 72, Cynthia Eaton, and Robert’s son, David, who was found dead in a nearby barn.
Unsettled and apparently under the impression he was being chased, Eaton opened fire on three vehicles on Interstate 295. Three people were hurt – two with non-life-threatening injuries and one who remains in critical condition at Maine Medical Center.
Inevitably, Eaton was apprehended and taken into custody by Yarmouth, Falmouth and Cumberland police. Authorities found weapons at both scenes, though it’s unclear to whom they belonged, as Eaton is a convicted felon in three states and thus barred from owning firearms.
The Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled this homicide case, leaving the entire town of Bowdoin heartbroken. In a statement, Mike Sauschuck, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, referred to the incident as “an attack on the soul of our state.”
Motivations behind Eaton’s atrocity remain unknown, leading authorities to presume this was an isolated incident with no further risk to the public. Maine police continue the investigation to uncover the truth of the matter.