Van Buren man dies at his home, after being shot by homemade security device

During the early evening of Thursday, November 28th, the Van Buren Police Department was dispatched to a residence on St. Francis Avenue, answering a 9-1-1 call from a male reporting that he had been shot. Officer Chandler Madore and the Van Buren Ambulance Service arrived on scene, assisted by the US Border Patrol, and provided emergency medical assistance to the injured man, identified as the homeowner, 65-year-old Ronald Cyr.

While on scene, officers discovered that the front door of the residence had been outfitted with a device designed to fire a handgun, should anyone attempt to enter the door. Other unknown devices were also discovered, alarming investigators to contact the Maine State Police Bomb Squad.

Following an extensive investigation that lasted into the early morning hours by the Maine State Police, the Maine State Police Bomb Squad and the Van Buren Police Department, it was determined that Cyr had been shot as the result of the unintentional discharge of one of his homemade devices.

According to police, Cyr succumbed to injuries he sustained from the gunshot.

The Maine Warden Service and the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation.