LEWISTON — The Maine Attorney General ruled Friday that Lewiston police officers were justified in the use of deadly force when they wounded Albert Crowley last year.

On Oct. 24, 2014, Lewiston police officers Brian Bourgoin, Michael Dumond, and Zachary Provost fired upon Crowley in Kennedy Park. Crowley recovered from the gunshot wounds and was charged with three counts of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and one count of domestic violence assault.

Crowley, 21, of 1 Knox St. pleaded guilty in September to criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and domestic violence assault. Crowley had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Attorney General Janet T. Mills concluded in the office’s report that Dumond, Bourgoin and Provost “reasonably believed that unlawful deadly force was imminently threatened against them. It was reasonable for each officer to believe it necessary to use deadly force to protect himself and the other officers from deadly force, as well as others in the park at the time potentially within range of Mr. Crowley’s weapon.”

According to the affidavit filed by Lewiston police, Crowley fought with his girlfriend in their Knox Street apartment over his drug use. He allegedly punched her in the head and mouth.

When she started bleeding, Crowley apologized and lay down with her and their infant daughter on an air mattress in the living room. When he left at about 8 p.m., he kissed her and said he loved her and the baby. She called 911 and told police he might be armed.

Crowley went to Kennedy Park and was quickly surrounded by three officers.

Ignoring orders to stop and raise his hands, one witness told police Crowley said, “I’m not afraid to die.”

When Crowley pulled a revolver from his clothing, hid behind a tree and appeared to aim the gun at an officer, police immediately began firing, according to the affidavit.

The firearm was a .22-caliber revolver with a capacity of eight rounds and loaded with seven .22-caliber hollow-point bullets, according to the Attorney General’s report.

Crowley allegedly ran. Officers fired until he fell to the ground and fired again when he motioned toward the police with one arm, still holding the gun.

According the Attorney General’s report, Crowley was struck by three rounds of the 20 rounds fired simultaneously by the three officers. He was wounded in the  back, right shoulder, and right forearm. 

The incident was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.

Crowley allegedly told police from his hospital bed at Central Maine Medical Center that he’d found the gun behind a Dumpster in Oklahoma, where he and his girlfriend used to live, and the couple had had past domestic violence issues.

“Crowley told us how he did not want to go back to jail,” Levesque wrote. “According to Crowley, he was holding the gun while backing up, knowing police will normally shoot people who hold a gun toward them. Crowley stated he did not want to shoot himself because he ‘would not go to heaven if he killed himself.'”