Family of 3 killed in series of shootings that ended on Maine bridge identified

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Family of 3 killed in series of shootings that ended on Maine bridge identified

2024-08-31 06:03 Last Updated At：06:10

KITTERY, Maine (AP) — Authorities released autopsy results Friday for three bodies recovered from a home, a car's back seat and a river between New Hampshire and Maine, identifying a man accused of fatally shooting his wife and their 8-year-old son before being shot to death by police.

Police identified the family of three as Brittany and Trent Weston, both 37, and their son, Benson. Officials said the mother and son died from multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by Trent Weston, who was shot multiple times by troopers during a standoff on a bridge and fell 100 feet (30 meters) into the water below.

The Westons had recently moved into a duplex in Troy, New Hampshire, where Brittany Weston's body was discovered early Thursday after her husband called 911 to report that they'd argued and that she was dead. The boy's body was found in Trent Weston's car parked about 100 miles (160 kilometers) away on the Interstate 95 bridge between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine.

After failed attempts to negotiate, two New Hampshire troopers and a Maine trooper fired their weapons after Trent Weston got out of the car and raised a weapon, officials said. The Coast Guard recovered his body from the Piscataqua River.

Police said Friday they hadn't determined a motive for the violence. Investigations were continuing in Maine and New Hampshire.

The bridge was closed for about seven hours before reopening. Between 70,000 and 80,000 vehicles use the Piscataqua bridge each day, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

Canada's Trudeau announces resignation after nearly a decade as prime minister

2025-01-07 04:47 Last Updated At：04:52

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation Monday after nearly a decade in power, bowing to rising discontent over his leadership and growing turmoil within his government signaled by the abrupt departure of his finance minister.

Trudeau, the latest incumbent to be driven out by rising voter dissatisfaction worldwide, said it had become clear to him that he cannot "be the leader during the next elections due to internal battles.” He planned to stay on as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is chosen.

“I don’t easily back down faced with a fight, especially a very important one for our party and the country. But I do this job because the interests of Canadians and the well being of democracy" are "something that I hold dear," said Trudeau, who was initially teary-eyed at the announcement outside his official residence.

He said Parliament, which had been due to resume Jan. 27, would be suspended until March 24. The timing will allow for a Liberal Party leadership race.

All three main opposition parties have said they plan to topple the Liberal Party in a no-confidence vote when Parliament resumes, so a spring election after the Liberals pick a new leader was almost assured.

“The Liberal Party of Canada is an important institution in the history of our great country and democracy. A new prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party will carry its values and ideals into that next election,” Trudeau said. “I am excited to see that process unfold in the months ahead.”

Trudeau came to power in 2015 after 10 years of Conservative Party rule and was initially hailed for returning the country to its liberal past. But the 53-year-old scion of one of Canada’s most famous prime ministers became deeply unpopular with voters in recent years over a range of issues, including the soaring cost of food and housing, and surging immigration.

Speaking in a recorded message posted on X, opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Canadians “desperate to turn the page on this dark chapter in our history might be relieved” that Trudeau is leaving. "But what has really changed? Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential Liberal leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last nine years.”

Other opposition leaders added their own criticism, including Jagmeet Singh, who leads the leftist New Democratic Party.

“It doesn’t matter who the next Liberal is. They’ve let you down. They do not deserve another chance,” said Singh, who propped up Trudeau’s party for years.

The president of the Liberal party, Sachit Mehra, said in a statement that party members were “immensely grateful” to Trudeau for delivering “transformational progress” for Canadians, including $10-a-day child care, dental care and a national climate plan. Mehra said he would call a meeting this week to begin selecting a new leader.

The political upheaval comes at a difficult moment for Canada internationally. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods if the government does not stem what Trump calls a flow of migrants and drugs in the U.S. — even though far fewer of them cross into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, which Trump has also threatened.

Canada is a major exporter of oil and natural gas to the U.S., which also relies on its northern neighbor for steel, aluminum and automobiles.

After Trudeau's announcement, Trump, who for weeks has referred to Canada as the 51st state, did so again and incorrectly claimed on social media that the prime minister resigned because Canada relies on subsidies from the U.S. to stay afloat.

Trudeau kept publicly mum in recent weeks, despite intensifying pressure for him to step down.

“His long silence following this political drama speaks volumes about the weakness of his current position,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Canada’s former finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, announced her resignation from Trudeau’s Cabinet on Dec. 16, criticizing some of Trudeau’s economic priorities in the face of Trump’s threats. The move, which came shortly after the housing minister quit, stunned the country and raised questions about how much longer the increasingly unpopular Trudeau could stay in his job.

Freeland and Trudeau had disagreed about two recently announced policies: a temporary sales tax holiday on goods ranging from children’s clothes to beer, and plans to send every citizen a check for $250 Canadian ($174). Freeland, who was also deputy prime minister, said Canada could not afford “costly political gimmicks” in the face of the tariffs threat.

“Our country is facing a grave challenge,” Freeland wrote in her resignation letter. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war.”

Trudeau had planned to run for a fourth term despite his party's displeasure. Prime ministers in Canada can stay in office as long as their government or party has the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons, but no Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.

Trudeau's party recently suffered upsets in special elections in two districts in Toronto and Montreal that it has held for years. And based on the latest polls, his chances for success looked slim. In the latest poll by Nanos, the Liberals trailed Conservatives 47% to 21%.

Over his long tenure, Trudeau embraced an array of causes favored by his liberal base. He spoke in favor of immigration at a time other countries were trying to tighten their borders. He championed diversity and gender equality, appointing a Cabinet that was equal parts men and women. He legalized cannabis.

His efforts to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection were criticized by both the right and left. He levied a tax on carbon emissions and rescued a stalled pipeline expansion project to get more of Alberta’s oil to international markets.

Fewer people died from COVID-19 in Canada than elsewhere, and his government provided massive financial support. But animosity grew among those opposed to vaccine mandates. Flags with Trudeau’s name and expletives became a common sight in rural regions.

A combination of scandal and unpopular policies damaged his prospects over time.

Trudeau’s father swept to power in 1968 and led Canada for almost 16 years, becoming a storied name in the country’s history, most notably by opening its doors wide to immigrants. Pierre Trudeau was often compared to John F. Kennedy and remains one of the few Canadian politicians who are recognized in America.

Born while his father was prime minister, the younger Trudeau became an international celebrity upon being elected. He appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine under the headline “Why Can’t He Be Our President?”

Tall and trim, with movie-star looks, Justin Trudeau channeled the star power — if not quite the political heft — of his father.

He became the second-youngest prime minister in Canada’s history, and rivals said his age was a liability when he first sought office. But he won a sweeping mandate in a come-from-behind victory in 2015.

Trudeau is a former teacher, nightclub bouncer and snowboard instructor who has three children with his ex-wife, a former model and TV host.