Augusta - (AP) - According to a newspaper report, a witness
who says he captured the shooting death of Marine veteran James
Popkowski on video says the veteran was carrying a rifle pointed
down and away from law enforcement officers when he was confronted
by them at a VA hospital in Maine.
The 37-year-old veteran had a rare form of leukemia and left the
Marines in 2003 with an honorable discharge. On July 8, officers
responded to a shot fired at the VA Medical Center in Augusta and
confronted Popkowski. Investigators say preliminary information
indicated the officers felt threatened. He died of a gunshot wound
to the neck.
The Bangor Daily News reported that Paul Stevens of Belgrade
says he agreed with the Attorney General's Office to keep the video
confidential, pending the outcome of an investigation into the
shooting.

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