Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Jacob Poitraw
Age : 25
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 06/05/2022
Location : Main + Davis St
City : Presque Isle
County : Aroostook
State : Maine
Agency : Presque Isle PD
Officer(s) :Tyler Cote
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during traffic stop
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On June 4, 2022, police received reports that Jacob Poitraw had allegedly threatened motorists with an AR-15 style rifle during a road rage incident. Police attempted to locate him but were unsuccessful.
Police stated Poitraw later contacted the department but refused to surrender and allegedly made threats toward law enforcement.
On June 5, Sgt. Tyler Cote located Poitraw driving a pickup truck in Presque Isle and attempted a traffic stop. Poitraw continued driving and a pursuit began.
According to the Attorney General's report, the pursuit lasted roughly three minutes. During it, Poitraw repeatedly backed his truck into Cote's cruiser. Investigators concluded he struck the cruiser three separate times.
The final collision occurred at Main Street and Davis Street near Freshies convenience store. Investigators concluded Poitraw was pushing the police vehicle backward with his truck when Cote fired six rounds through the windshield of his cruiser. One round struck Poitraw.
Poitraw was transported to a hospital and died later that evening.
One of the most significant later developments came from Poitraw's mother. She publicly stated that her son struggled with severe mental illness, addiction, depression, and repeated suicide attempts. She said he had been placed on life support four times following suicide attempts and believed the deaths of his brother and father within about a year contributed to a severe decline in his mental health.
Her statements suggest that mental health issues may have played a substantial role in the events leading up to the shooting. She did not publicly discuss the details of the confrontation itself because the investigation was ongoing at the time.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://www.pressherald.com/2022/06/06/man-shot-by-police-in-presque-isle-confrontation/
https://www.wabi.tv/2022/06/06/presque-isle-man-involved-incident-with-police-dies/
