Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Killed in Maine, a Controversial Police Shooting

Here is a link of this article on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hrrlEm2sLCk

Killed in Maine, a Controversial Police Shooting
By Joshua Gray, PI from Boston, MA
Vassalboro, Maine - A girl is Killed by the Police. She was the passenger in a vehicle driven by a man who just committed armed burglary. In a desperate attempt to escape from the police, the man crashed into a police cruiser and two Troopers shot and killed Kadhar Bailey and Ambrosia ‘Amber’ Fagre. The incident garnered media attention and once again a controversial Police involved shooting was in the News. Maine State Trooper Jeff Parks fired the shot that killed Amber Fagre and Lt Scott Ireland fired the shot that killed Kadhar Bailey. After nearly a year long Attorney General’s investigation, the officers were cleared of all wrongdoing. This was an all too familiar outcome. In the entire history of Maine, every police involved shooting has been found to be justified.
Right from the beginning, most people assumed this was a ‘good shoot’ and the police officers did nothing wrong. However when you take a closer look, not everything is how it seems. First we must look at the events that led to the shooting and also the investigation that was conducted to clear them. When two people are killed, this is the least we can do. 
It's important to start this article by disclosing that I have a history with Lt Scott Ireland, the officer who killed Kadhar Bailey and believe him to be a dirty cop. My interest in this shooting was influenced by that belief. Prior to the killings I repeatedly warned he was a bad cop who would eventually kill someone. In fact, I wrote articles, posted on social media and filed an internal affairs complaint against him to prevent this exact thing from happening. When I learned that he killed someone, I was overcome with intense emotions that I didn’t do more to warn people. It's hard to describe the guilt you feel when someone who you predicted would kill, actually kills a fellow human. I have provided links to the other articles at the bottom. 
Kadhar Bailey was a self employed roofer from Gardiner, Maine. I was told that he was a hard worker who was proud to be a small businessman. However he had a dark side. Like so many young people in Maine, he had become addicted to drugs and alcohol. His roofing business was struggling and the persistent call of addition led him down a dark path to the rural town of Vassalboro, Maine. Some say that he went to this town with a young 18 year old girl, known to her friends as Ambrosia ‘Amber’ Fagre. Exactly how Amber ended up in his vehicle as a passenger is not clear. Amber’s boyfriend Nick Penny claims that she liked to hitchhike and was picked up by Kadhar to get a ride back to the Augusta area. Kadhar’s relative, who wishes to not be named, claims that Amber and Kadhar were drug buddies who would get high together. Regardless of how they both ended up in the same vehicle, the events of that winter day would end with Amber fighting for her life and Kadhar dead. 
Kadhar parked his vehicle, a Dodge Durango, that he had borrowed from his uncle, at a turnaround point on Arnold Rd in Vassalboro. He left Amber in the vehicle and walked through snow and forest to a residential house. He walked to the home of Richard Browne and knocked on the door. He offered to shovel Mr. Browne’s roof for $100. When Mr Browne declined the offer, he watched as Kadhar Bailey walked away from the house. Moments later, Mr Browne heard sounds coming from his garage. He discovered Mr. Bailey in the garage and was then allegedly held at gunpoint. Mr Bailey tied his arms and legs and put him in the basement. Mr. Bailey proceeded to ransack his house over several hours. He finally stole Mr Brownes pick up truck and departed the house after threatening to kill. There is little question that Mr. Bailey committed a burglary, tied up the homeowner and stole a truck on this day. If Kadhar Bailey had lived, he would most likely be serving a lengthy prison sentence for his actions. 
Meanwhile, Lt Scott Ireland of the Maine State Police was returning home. He lived on Arnold Rd only a half mile from the turnaround point where the Dodge Durango was parked. A neighbor informed Lt Ireland, who was off duty and wearing civilian clothing, of the ‘suspicious’ Dodge Durango parked down the road. Lt Ireland put on his police belt and jacket, hopped in his unmarked cruiser and went to the area. He observed Amber Fagre slumped over in the passenger seat. He noticed the vehicle was running and feared she was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. He knocked on the window and was able to get her attention. Lt Ireland discovered that she was ‘out of it’. Miss Fagre told Lt Ireland that she was waiting for her boyfriend to return and gave several names including ‘Nick, Brian and Hunter’ but could not give a last name. She never mentioned Kadhar’s first name. Sgt. Galen Estes of the Kennebec County Sheriff's office arrived on scene. Lt Ireland spotted footprints in the snow leading to Mr. Richard Browne’s house and attempted to reach Mr Browne on the phone. When he could not reach him, he called relatives. When nobody could reach Mr. Browne, Lt Ireland decided to go investigate and left Sgt Estes to watch Amber. It should be noted that for Lt Ireland to know who lived in the direction of the footprints, know the homeowner’s phone number and further to know his relatives phone numbers, it seems logical to assume Lt Ireland was friends with Mr Browne. 
Lt Ireland received a call from a nephew of Mr Browne, who informed him that his uncle had been robbed at gunpoint and tied up. Lt Ireland spotted Mr Brown’s truck pulled off the road and observed footprints in the snow. Because Lt Ireland lived in & knew the area, he believed the footprints would lead back to where the Dodge Durango was parked. Back at the Dodge Durango, Chief Mark Brown of the Vassalboro Maine Police Department had arrived on scene. Sgt Estes decided to move a few police vehicles that were blocking the narrow dead end road while Chief Brown watched Amber. Drugs were discovered in the vehicle with Amber, however Chief Brown had not arrested, moved her to a police cruiser, called for an Ambulance or made any effort to get her out of the Dodge Durango. While Sgt Estes was moving a police vehicle, Lt Ireland was radioing to Chief Brown that an armed suspect may be walking in his direction. Chief brown looked and saw Kadhar Bailey walking toward him and saw what he believed to be a gun in his hands. Chief brown moved from the passenger side of the Durango to the driver side to seek cover. He had ordered Mr Bailey to stop, however Mr Bailey continued to approach. Simultaneously, Trooper Jeff Parks of Maine State Police, arrived just down the road. Chief Brown discharged his weapon and got behind a snow banking. Chief Brown then heard a loud sound, he believed it to be gunfire, however could have been Kadhar Bailey closing the Dodge Durango’s Door as he entered. 
Trooper Jeff Parks heard the gunfire and stopped his police vehicle in the middle of the road, blocking the only point of departure for Mr Bailey and exited the vehicle for cover. Mr Bailey accelerated the Dodge Durango with Amber Fagre in the passenger seat. Trooper Parks fired several rounds and the Dodge Durango crashed into the police cruiser that was blocking the road. The impact was enough to deploy the airbags of the police vehicle and push it back 50 feet. However the airbags did not deploy in the Durango. It seems clear that Mr Bailey was trying to escape the police and ‘ramming’ the empty police cruiser that was blocking the road was his only option to achieve that objective. Both Chief Brown and Trooper Parks had failed to stop or hit Mr Bailey with their gunfire. However trooper Parks had hit Amber Fagre with a round and she was now bleeding and injured in the passenger seat. Trooper Parks claims that he did not know there was a passenger in the vehicle and did not see a passenger. This seems curious as Lt Ireland, Sgt Estes and Chief Brown all were aware she was in the vehicle and there had to be radio traffic about Miss Fagre being in the vehicle. Regardless, she was in the vehicle and would die as a result of gunshot injuries. 
Lt Scott Ireland had arrived at the scene and observed Mr Bailey with a hand out the window, he ordered Mr Bailey to show his hands and then observed a series of quick movements toward the center console area of the vehicle. Lt Ireland interpreted this as Mr Bailey reaching for a gun, however could have been Mr Bailey noticing that Amber was shot and bleeding and reaching over to help her. Lt Ireland fired his weapon at Mr Bailey and killed him. Mr Kadhar Bailey died at the scene and Amber Fagre was rushed to a hospital where she later died. 
After looking into this Police involved shooting in my spare time, its my opinion that neither Kadhar Bailey or Amber Fagre had to die that day. I base this on the information that I have learned through talking with multiple people, reading newspaper articles and reviewing the Attorney General's report on the shooting. Lt Ireland’s career is marked with one instance after another of taking the law into his own hands. He has a pattern of making himself Judge, Jury and Executioner. I am convinced that Mr Baileys fate was determined the moment Lt. Ireland left the side of Amber Fagre. Leaving Amber when she was clearly high on drugs speaks volumes in regard to Lt Ireland’s motivation. Rather than use his cell phone or police radio to ask another officer to investigate his neighbors house, Lt Ireland decided he had to do it. This demonstrates, in my opinion,  that Lt Ireland put zero value on Ambers life and thought he was the only police officer in Maine qualified to catch the bad guy. If Lt Ireland had not left, both Amber and Kadhar would still be alive in my opinion. This entire incident could have been avoided if Lt Ireland’s ego was held in check and he simply asked another officer to check out Mr Browne's house. However his actions are 100% consistent with someone who routinely elevates himself to Judge, Jury and Executioner. This is why I believe that he is a dirty cop and danger to the people of Maine. This is what led me to predict that he would kill someone. 
When it comes to the killing of Amber Fagre, I find that multiple mistakes were made that led to her death. These mistakes were avoidable and it is my opinion that she did not have to die that day. Lt Scott Ireland should never have left Miss Fagre after making contact with her. He should have remained by her side until an ambulance took her away or she was arrested. When he saw the footprints in the snow leading to his neighbors house, a neighbor who he was believed to be friends with, he should have ‘called it in’ and let another officer investigate it. When Chief Brown and Sgt Estes learned of the drugs in the possession of Amber Fagre, she should have been handcuffed and moved to a patrol car so the crime scene could be preserved and a detailed search of the Dodge Durango could be conducted. When Mr Bailey approached the Dodge Durango, Chief Brown should have been able to stop him before he entered the vehicle and smashed into a police cruiser. Sgt Estes, who was moving a vehicle at the time, should have helped Chief Brown engage Mr Bailey and stop him from entering the vehicle. Finally Trooper Parks should have known a passenger was in the vehicle. These glaring mistakes should not be ignored when looking at this shooting. They directly led to the death of Amber Fagre. In my opinion, both Amber and Kadhar would still be alive today if Lt Scott Ireland had simply followed standard police protocol and used his cell phone or police radio to ask another officer to investigate his neighbors house. This mistake led to both deaths in my opinion. 
I endeavored to research this shooting with an open mind and let the facts guide me. It is not easy to break through the ‘blue wall of silence’ after a police shooting and I knew that I would have to take an unconventional approach to getting information. I attempted several Freedom of Information requests, however they were pointless. I received responses that, ‘we cannot release information about an ongoing investigation’. So I used the only tool available to me, social media. I formed educated theories about the shooting and posted them onto social media in the hope people would contact me with information to prove my theory was true or false. I have used this technique in the past and it is a well established lead generating investigative method used by police and investigators for many years now. 
I noticed the police were not admitting that Lt Ireland lived next to where the shooting happened. So I posted to social media that it happened ‘right outside Lt Ireland's House’ I received credible information that I was right and confirmed via online searches that he did indeed live on Arnold Rd, the road where the shooting took place. The Police later confirmed to me the shooting happened ½ mile from Lt Ireland’s house. 
I assumed Lt Ireland was off duty at the time of the shooting and noticed the police and news were not telling people that. So I posted to social media that Lt Ireland was off duty and possibly drinking. Many cops start drinking after a long shift. Lt Ireland is most likely of Irish heritage and that seems to be a reasonable question to ask. Was he drinking? The State Police eventually confirmed that he was off duty, but denied he was drinking. In fact they sent me an affidavit of Lt Ireland stating that he has never drank alcohol in his entire life. But they also confirmed, by omission, that he was never given a scientific test for drugs or alcohol. They just took his word for it. This was a huge oversight by the investigators looking into the shooting. When a truck driver gets into a fender bender, he has his blood drawn and tested. A cop can kill someone and no scientific test is conducted? This should be heavily considered when judging how thorough an investigation was conducted into this shooting. 
I received pictures of the Dodge Durango Amber was riding in. Based on showing the pictures to other investigators with experience in bullet trajectory, I formed the opinion that Trooper Parks was not standing in front of the vehicle and should not have feared for his life when he fired the shot that killed Amber Fagre. The State Police rejected this opinion and said that my trajectory analysis was faulty and that I was not a certified bullet trajectory expert. 
I did end up posting something on social media that was way off the mark. I assumed that Lt Ireland shot and killed Amber Fagre. I was wrong about this and corrected myself immediately after learning that it was Trooper Parks who fired the bullet that killed Amber. I posted a correction along with the Attorney General’s report into the shooting. The report stated that Lt Ireland fired the shot that killed Kadhar Bailey. This does not however release him from the mistakes he made that directly led to the unfortunate killing of Amber Fagre by Trooper Parks.
Lt Ireland has a long history of questionable behavior. I wrote an article about how he retaliated against me after I was charged with a crime and won in court. I was completely exonerated and Lt Ireland could not handle that, so he and others retaliated against me by denying a professional license and contacting my largest client. I lost the client after they told them that I was under an “Investigation that is ongoing”. This cost me a significant amount of revenue and ability to grow my business. Lt Ireland was also connected to a retaliation against Bobby Doyon and Katherine Biermann. Lt Ireland was caught on a recorded telephone call threatening a man who goes by the alias ‘Postol Front’. I have been contacted by many other people who have told me similar stories. However, when I mentioned this history on social media, the Maine State Police initially responded by telling me that Lt Ireland has “no sustained” internal affairs complaints against him. When I challenged that assertion, by telling them I myself made a complaint, they changed their answer to “he has only one (1) complaint against him”. How convenient!
In the months following the killing of Amber Fagre and Kadhar Bailey, there was a lot of public interest in the case. I received many messages, phone calls and social media comments from numerous people. I was inserting myself into the public conversation and asking people connected with the case to reach out to me. Most of my speculation and theories on the case were developed and tested on social media. I learned that Amber Fagre and Kadhar Bailey were most likely addicted to drugs and guessed that heavily influenced their actions. However, I could never understand how Amber Fagre died. I wrote on social media that I would eventually write an article about the shooting, but not until I had a better grasp on what actually happened that day. The Maine State Police accused me of being an incompetent, immoral liar for posting about this shooting on social media and said that my social media posts were equivalent to an investigative report that had the backing of the State of Massachusetts, because I hold a PI license there. I am sorry to inform them, but social media posts are simply free speech made in a digital public square. I’m sorry that my free speech offended them, but it was that very free speech that helped me research and form opinions about the shooting. I now feel that I can write an article about the shooting. But I want to stress, if anything in this article is wrong, please contact me so that I can correct it. 
I want to end this article by saying that I strongly believe that mistakes were made by Lt Ireland, Chief Brown, Sgt Estes and Trooper Parks that led to the death of Amber Fagre and Kadhar Bailey. These police professionals should have received sufficient training to avoid these glaring mistakes and they should be alive today. Amber should not have been in the Dodge Durango when Kadhar Bailey returned from his crime spree. Amber Fagres mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the State, however it was dismissed by the Judge. Sadly, justice for Ambrosia Fagre is unlikely unless things change when it comes to police accountability in Maine. 
I want to end this article by briefly discussing a curious consequence for my interest in this shooting. After I applied for a Professional License, the Maine State Police took an interest in my social media comments about this shooting. They ended up denying my application based on my social media posts. I appealed the denial and Judge Michaela Murphy of Kennebec County Superior Court reversed their decision by saying they could only deny me if I made the comments on social media with ‘malicious intent’. So the Maine State Police yet again denied me stating that I made my social media comments with ‘malicious intent’. I have begun a new appeal and will post updates on social media. I would confidently say that I am being retaliated against by the Maine State Police for questioning a police involved shooting. Rather than follow their oath to the constitution and allow someone to critically question a controversial shooting on social media, the Maine State Police used their power to retaliate against me for daring to challenge them. This is exactly why our founders gave us the first amendment. I will close this discussion with one question that needs to be answered; why do you think the Maine State Police retaliated against me for looking into a controversial police involved shooting? 
If anything in this article is wrong, please contact me at joshgray@nationalsi.com and I will do further research and make appropriate corrections. 
Update: In May 2020 Maine State Trooper George Loder filed a whistleblower complaint claiming that Lt Scott Ireland and Lt Micheal Johnston retaliated against him for exposing illegal activity within the State Police. 
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