Van Buren Man Dies after Gunshot from Homemade Device

During the early evening of Thursday, November 28, the Van Buren Police Department was dispatched to a residence on St. Francis Avenue answering to a 911 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 who was identified as the home owner, 65-year-old Ronald Cyr. Police said Cyr died due to the injuries he sustained from the gunshot.

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 Mr. Cyr had been shot as the result of the unintentional discharge of one of his homemade devices.

The Van Buren Police Department was additionally assisted at the scene by the Maine Warden Service and the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office.