Daniel Ryan Death – The authorities in Maine reported that a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a man who was holding a burning gas can and charged at police.
The 65-year-old man had contacted the Waldo County Dispatch Center on Monday afternoon, threatening to burn down his apartment building in Belfast if law enforcement did not respond. Despite the arrival of sheriff’s deputies and police, the man persisted in his threats to set the building on fire.
Upon entering the building, the man aggressively approached the officers with a flaming gas can, leading to the deputy shooting and killing him.
The man was later identified as Daniel Ryan, and efforts to locate a phone number for him or his family members were unsuccessful.
The deputy involved, Sgt. Nicholas Oettinger, will be placed on administrative leave while the attorney general’s office conducts an investigation.
Prior to joining the Waldo County Sheriff’s office in 2010, Oettinger had served as a deputy in Monroe County, Florida. Belfast is situated approximately 35 miles south of Bangor.