A 34-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening in connection with the killings of four people who were found dead earlier in the day at a Bowdoin, Maine, home, authorities said.
The killings appeared to be connected to a series of nearby highway shootings that left three drivers injured – including one critically – shortly after the four bodies were discovered, state police have said.
The man arrested was identified by Maine State Police as Joseph Eaton.
Eaton was taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail and will make an initial court appearance later in the week, state police said in a Tuesday evening news release. Officials said Wednesday that for the moment Eaton is only accused of the killings.
CNN has not yet been able to identify an attorney for Eaton.
“Investigators will be working throughout the night processing multiple scenes and continuing to interview people involved with this incident,” state police said in the news release.
Police have not shared details about a possible motive in the two incidents and did not share details about the four people found dead in the home.
In a statement on Twitter, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said, “Like people across Maine, I am shocked and deeply saddened – acts of violence like we experienced today shake our state and our communities to the core.”
Vehicles ‘hit by straight gunfire’
Maine State Police responded Tuesday morning to the Bowdoin home, where they found the four deceased victims inside, state police Lt. Randall Keaten said in a news conference earlier Tuesday.
Shortly after, authorities received reports of several vehicles getting hit by gunfire on I-295 in the area of Yarmouth, which is about 40 minutes from Bowdoin.
Three people were shot while driving and were taken to the hospital, state police said. At least one of those three was in critical condition Tuesday, authorities added.
“We’ve got vehicles that have been hit by straight gunfire all across that we’re getting reports on, so if anybody has holes in their vehicles, please contact us so that we can follow up with that,” Keaten said.
The victims found in the Bowdoin home and the highway shootings are connected, Keaten said, adding there is no threat to the public.
The four bodies were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta where autopsies will determine the manner and cause of death state police said.
Authorities have asked anyone who may have witnessed something or has any information about the Tuesday morning incidents to reach out.
“A lot happened this morning between those two scenes and those are the people that we want to talk to, those people that were impacted by this,” Keaten said, adding authorities were continuing to work on several impacted scenes and gather more information.
CNN’s Sara Smart and Laura James contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com