Police arrest former Maine Walmart employee who made threat that referenced Lewiston shootings

Suspect had history of mental illness The man allegedly behind a mass shooting in Maine reportedly had a history of mental illness. CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.

PALMYRA, Maine — Police in Maine arrested a former Walmart employee who made a threatening social media post that referenced a recent mass shooting in the state.

Police in the town of Palmyra charged the 18-year-old man with aggravated reckless conduct and domestic violence terrorizing after he photographed himself with a firearm and ammunition while sitting in the parking lot of his former workplace and alluding to committing "Lewiston part two." A mass shooting in Lewiston, about 80 miles south, killed 18 people last week.

The teenager made the threat via a social media channel on Sunday, police said.

Police said the teen had been fired from the Palmyra Walmart in 2021 and had been recently seen in its parking lot on a nightly basis. They said they later arrested him at his residence in Etna without incident.

Police said the teen is due in court on Jan. 3. A phone number listed for him in Etna had been disconnected.