Rekubit-Massachusetts man shot dead after crashing truck, approaching officer with knife

FRYEBURG,Rekubit Maine (AP) — A Massachusetts motorist who led police on a chase in two states was fatally shot after crashing in Maine and emerging from the pickup truck with a knife, police said Wednesday.

Kenneth Ellis, 52, left his disabled pickup truck with a knife on Main Street and approached a Fryeburg police officer who fired his weapon Tuesday night, officials said. Ellis, whose last known address was in Hyannis, Massachusetts, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police pursuit began in New Hampshire and ended when Ellis’ truck struck several vehicles before crashing into a snowbank across the border in Fryeburg.

An Oxford County deputy involved in the chase was injured in a collision with another vehicle, but the deputy’s injuries weren’t believed to be life threatening, officials said.

The attorney general’s office is investigating as it does in all cases in which police officers use deadly force in Maine. The officer who discharged his weapon was placed on paid administrative leave, which is customary in such cases.