Bangor, Maine News Update: July 6, 2017

State Police are working to determine what drove a Madison man to kill three people and wound another Wednesday morning before being fatally shot in a confrontation with officers. Spokesman Steve McCausland says Carroll Tuttle killed his partner and their son at their home, shot and killed a neighbor at his home, and then returned to his own residence, where he wounded a fourth person.

A man who told police his name was Santa Claus led officers on a nearly 50-mile chase Tuesday on I-95 in a stolen vehicle. Speeds reached 112 miles per hour at one point before spike strips were laid in the road in Newburgh, but police say he continued to drive even after his tires were destroyed. 54-year-old Christos Kassaras of New Hampshire was finally caught in Bangor after a pursuing officer used his cruiser to bump the fleeing car.

Fire officials say improperly discarded fireworks caused a house fire. The Portland Press Herald reports the house fire started early Wednesday morning after a neighborhood firework show in Scarborough. Officials say a bin containing firework remnants stored in a plastic bag caught fire next to a home.

An injured hiker was rescued from a mountain east of Greenville yesterday after breaking his leg on the Appalachian Trail. The 16-year-old from Montreal was on a downhill portion of the trail when he lost his footing and fell. He was carried out by rescuers and then LifeFlighted to the hospital.

The American Red Cross is in critical need of blood and platelets after there were more than 60 thousand fewer donations given over the last two months. Summer is a tough time to get people to think about donating, and also a time of increased need as Maine’s population increases with the tourist trade, and there’s an uptick in the number of car accidents. For more information on how to donate, log onto red cross blood dot org.