Hyannis man shot, killed by police in Maine after two-state chase

A Hyannis man was fatally shot by a Fryeburg, Maine, police officer Wednesday night after a two-state chase, Fryeburg Police Chief Aaron Mick said.

Kenneth Ellis, 52, of Hyannis, was shot after the pickup truck he was driving crashed and he emerged from the vehicle carrying a knife.

The officer on the scene repeatedly instructed Ellis to drop the knife, but he refused to do so, Mick said in a telephone interview.

"The suspect continued to walk toward the cruiser and the officer fired eight rounds," he said. Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting is under investigation by the Maine Attorney General’s office, as is the policy when an officer uses deadly force, Mick said. The officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave, he said.

Read more: Family of Kenneth Ellis, who was killed police in in Maine, said he had history of mental illness

All eight rounds discharged by the officer were accounted for, Mick said, adding that bullets struck no pedestrians, cars or buildings.

Ellis lived on Cape Cod in Hyannis and Dennis within the last five years. His mother, Gloria Rose, said Feb. 1 that on the advice of her attorney, the family had no comment about Ellis. “Until an investigation is over and finalized, we were told not to speak to any media,” said Rose, who currently lives in Pennsylvania.

How did the incident start?

The incident started at about 6:30 p.m. when a motorist told a Conway, New Hampshire, police sergeant that a black F-150 pickup truck was speeding, tailgating and passing people on the road, Mick said.

A short time later, an officer spotted the truck parked at a convenience store in Conway, Mick said. Ellis was outside the vehicle and when the officer tried to talk to him, Ellis returned to the truck and drove off.

The officer pursued Ellis and notified Maine authorities the truck was headed toward the border, Mick said. A Fryeburg police officer and an Oxford County sheriff's deputy were stationed at the visitors center in Fryeburg.

The sheriff's deputy followed a truck that passed by, but Mick said it was the wrong truck. A short time later, a second truck, going 80 to 100 mph, drove by, he said. The Fryeburg officer pursued the truck.

As the truck headed toward downtown Fryeburg, it T-boned a vehicle making a left turn into a gas station, Mick said. The truck then hit a second car, causing it to flip over, and continued about 150 to 200 feet and hit a pylon in the center of town, he said. Ellis emerged from the passenger side of the truck carrying a knife, Mick said.

In the meantime, the sheriff's deputy collided with a vehicle making a left turn, Mick said. The deputy suffered what were thought to be non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Associated Press.

A total of seven cars were involved in the incident, Mick said. "It was a wild scene in downtown Fryeburg."

Previous indictment in Barnstable court but charges were dropped

In 2019, Ellis, then of Dennis, was charged and later indicted on criminal charges, including rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child. The charges were dropped on July 15, 2022, in Barnstable Superior Court.

The charges against Ellis were dismissed because of the alleged victim's inability to testify due to the person's mental health state, and the unavailability of mental health resources for them, according to the docket. 

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Kenneth Ellis of Hyannis fatally shot by Fryeburg police after chase