VASSALBORO, Maine — An Aroostook County corrections officer attending a basic corrections training program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy was shot in the leg by a fellow cadet late Monday, officials said.
Matthew Morrison, 33, of Mars Hill was sitting in the back seat of a pickup truck when he was shot accidentally by fellow cadet Matthew Benger, 24, of Portland, who works for the Cumberland County Jail, Stephen McCausland, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman said Tuesday.
“He was expected to have surgery on the leg today,” McCausland said.
The truck is owned by Cody Gillis, 25, of Brunswick, who also works for the Cumberland County Jail and was preparing to leave the parking lot when the gun went off.
“The gun had been stored in the console of Gillis’ truck, and Benger, who was a front-seat passenger, was handling the 9mm handgun at the time,” McCausland said.
Morrison was taken by ambulance to MaineGeneral in Augusta and later was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Maine State Police are investigating the incident. All three cadets are part of a class of 29 correction officers enrolled in a five-week basic corrections training program at the academy, which was in its fourth week. All three were staying on campus during the training.
