Man shot dead by police on Piscataqua River Bridge; child found dead in car

KITTERY (WGME) — Officials say a man was shot and killed by police on the Piscataqua River Bridge near Kittery early Thursday morning.

According to Maine State Police, the incident began at about 2:07 a.m. when a man called 911 and said he had gotten into an argument with his wife at a home in Troy, New Hampshire, and she was dead.

New Hampshire State Police found the woman's body in her home in Troy.

At around 2:30 a.m., police spotted the man's vehicle on the Piscataqua River Bridge on I-95 and attempted to get him to surrender.

According to police, after lengthy negotiations the man got out of his vehicle and raised a weapon.

Craig Nilsen, a Maine State Police trooper, and two New Hampshire State Police troopers shot the man, who then fell from the bridge.

His body was found down in the river.

Police also found an 8-year-old child shot to death in the man's vehicle on the bridge. Maine State Police say the child is the suspect's son.

Maine State Police stressed that the child's death had nothing to do with the police shooting.

Their identities have not yet been disclosed.

The Maine Attorney General's Office is investigating the police shooting.

The New Hampshire State Police and the Maine State Police are investigating the murders.

According to Maine State Police, I-95 and the Piscataqua River Bridge reopened around 9:45 a.m. Thursday.

The incident caused lengthy delays in the morning rush hour as traffic was diverted to the other two bridges connecting Portsmouth and Kittery.