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Autopsy: Shots that Killed Man in Mexico Standoff Not Self-Inflicted

The gun shots that killed a man involved in a standoff Sunday night with police in the Maine town of Mexico were not self-inflicted. That's according to the state Medical Examiner's Office.

Officials say an autopsy of Steven Piirainen, 52, of South Paris, showed that he died of gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.  Piirainen died in an exchange of gunfire after he allegedly stole a pickup truck in Paris, and then led police on a chase that ended at a convenience store in Mexico.  

The two officers who fired at Piirainen were Maine State Trooper Paul Casey and Mexico Reserve Officer Dean Benson. Both have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in such incidents.

Piirainen would have turned 53 today.
 

Barbara grew up in Biddeford, Maine. She earned a master’s in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s in English from the University of Southern Maine.