Richmond man shoots neighbor who tried to invade home

In what police describe as an “extremely random” attack, a 42-year-old Richmond man was shot in the chest early Wednesday morning while allegedly attempting to break into a neighboring apartment on Post Road. Shad Hembree was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta with non life-threatening injuries. He was expected to be released and taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset later on Wednesday to face charges including burglary, Richmond Police Chief Scott MacMaster said.

Shortly before 6 a.m., the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a 23-year-old woman reporting that an intruder she didn’t know had broken into her living room and refused to leave — even after her boyfriend had shot him in the chest. The woman told police that a man later identified as Hembree broke into the living room of the second-floor apartment, but that her boyfriend, Trevor Whitney, 28, used a handgun to chase Hembree out of the house. Soon, however, Hembree allegedly broke through a glass door, and Whitney shot Hembree just below his clavicle. Hembree then allegedly ran back downstairs and attacked the couple’s car before returning to the apartment and sitting on a chair on their porch, staring silently at them until police arrived, MacMaster said.

Richmond police, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office and an off-duty Brunswick police officer took Hembree into custody and he was taken to MaineGeneral. MacMaster said police have no indication drugs were a factor, although he said acquaintances of Hembree’s have indicated he has a history of mental illness and noted that Richmond police went to Hembree’s home several weeks ago to check on his welfare. Although Hembree lived next to the alleged victims, MacMaster said they did not know him and were unaware anyone was living next door. Whitney will not be charged, MacMaster said. “Upon initial review and after looking at all the statements, it was a clear act of self-defense on their part,” he said. “They did everything reasonably possible to get him out and his attempt to regain entry was an imminent threat to them and their safety, so they had to do what they had to do.”

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