An after-action report acquired by the Associated Press and published in part alleges some of the deputies who responded to the October 25, 2023, Lewiston, Maine, shootings smelled of “intoxicants” and nearly crashed an armored vehicle.
The AP noted the information came from “a heavily redacted…nine-page report” which was obtained via Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.
In the report, Portland Police tactical team leader Nicholas Goodman described how a vehicle carrying a secondary tactical team, from the Cumberland County, allegedly arrived on scene: “It locked up its brakes and came to an abrupt halt with the tires making a noise a large 18-wheeler makes when it stops abruptly while carrying a copious amount of weight. I’d estimate the armored car came within 20-30 feet of striking our armored car and most likely killing a number of us.”
File/In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Goodman claimed, “You could smell the aroma of intoxicants” coming from the vehicle.
The New York Daily News reported Goodman asked those in the Cumberland vehicle if they had been drinking but they simply responded that they were arriving on scene from a funeral.
Additionally, the nine-page after action report highlights a dangerous situation that was created the night of October 25, 2023, by officers who “self-dispatched” themselves, showing up in plain clothes who might have been confused with the suspect and drawn fire from other officers.
A commission is scheduled to meet Friday to examine the allegations contained in the after-action report.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
