The following vignettes describe the circumstances for killings not ruled self-defense by private individuals with permits to carry concealed handguns. The incidents below all occurred in Maine. The descriptions include the current, known status of any charges filed against the concealed carry killer as reported by news sources as well as noting instances where the perpetrator committed suicide.
The Violence Policy Center welcomes any new information regarding the status of any case (with verifiable source(s)). Use this link to contact the VPC: http://www.vpc.org/contact.htm.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Merrill “Mike” Kimball CONVICTED
Date: October 6, 2013
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: On October 6, 2013, concealed handgun permit holder Merrill “Mike” Kimball, 70, shot and killed Leon Kelley, 63, following a confrontation at Brown’s Bee Farm, a beekeeping business in North Yarmouth, Maine. Kimball was on the property to help his wife, who works at the bee farm, retrieve the honey she had processed. Stan Brown, the owner of the bee farm, said that he had issues with Kimball in the past and he was not allowed on the property. According to Kelley’s stepdaughter Robin Rawnsley-Dutil, Kelley placed his hands on Kimball’s arms “to turn him” and then asked him to wait off the property until the sheriff arrived. At that point, she testified that she heard four gun shots. Kimball acknowledged shooting and killing Kelley but claimed he acted in self-defense. In April 2015, Kimball was found guilty of murder, with the Assistant Attorney General explaining, “People have a right to carry firearms, but the law only provides the use of firearms for defense in very particular, limited circumstances. This was not one of them” Kimball faces a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Source: “Jury delivers guilty verdict in bee farm murder trial,” wcsh6.com, April 15, 2015; “Victim’s widow, stepdaughter give different accounts of bee farm shooting,” Bangor Daily News, April 7, 2015; “Attorney: Shooting of North Yarmouth man was self-defense,” pressherald.com, October 9, 2013.
Concealed Handgun Permit Holder: Matthew Partridge CONVICTED
Date: December 4, 2012
People Killed: 1
Circumstances: On December 4, 2012, concealed handgun permit holder Matthew Partridge, 30, shot and killed Justin Smith, 26, following an altercation outside a bar. According to prosecutors, Smith punched Partridge while he was sitting in his pickup truck outside the You Know Who’s Pub. Smith then retreated with his hands in the air when he saw that Partridge had a gun. Partridge fired two shots from his Sig Sauer handgun, one of which struck Smith in the head. Smith was pronounced dead on his arrival at the hospital. Partridge drove off following the shooting and was apprehended by a state trooper about 20 minutes later. According to Partridge’s mother, he obtained a concealed weapon permit several months before the shooting. In August 2013, Partridge pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in prison with 10 of those years suspended, and four years of probation.
Source: “Matthew Partridge pleads guilty to shooting man outside Waterville pub,” sunjournal.com, August 7, 2013; “Guilty plea nets Winslow man 15 years in Waterville shooting,” Portland Press Herald, August 7, 2013.