Maine Attorney General’s Office has determined Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy David Bellows was acting in self-defense and in defense of other deputies and a woman on scene Dec. 18, 2020 when, according to the report released Friday, he fatally shot a Jefferson man whose finger was on the trigger of a loaded, AR-style rifle.

Reached via email, Sheriff Todd Brackett declined comment except to note the report summarizes the event accurately.

It states Jacob McClure, 41, had the gun pointed at Bellows, and Bellows “reasonably believed” McClure was about to use unlawful deadly force against him and the woman, whom, it states, McClure had assaulted in the home.

The full report is attached.

Brackett announced last month, Bellows, on administrative leave since December, had submitted his resignation. “David was involved in a shooting incident and has made the painful decision not to return to law enforcement. He wants to move on to other things. He was an outstanding deputy and we wish him the best,” Brackett said.