AUBURN — A local man was charged with two felonies Tuesday in connection with the February armed robbery of a couple in a shopping center parking lot.
An Androscoggin County grand jury handed up an indictment charging William Beasley, 18, of 25 Harvard St. with two counts of Class B robbery, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Police said they responded to the scene of a shooting after midnight Feb. 24 to find Beasley attempting to provide first aid to a man lying on the ground and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the chest at 730 Center St. in the parking lot of Planet Fitness.
A man and woman at the scene who reported the incident told police said they were talking together in the woman’s vehicle after work when Beasley and a 19-year-old approached their vehicle, showed them a revolver and “demanded their money and cellphones.”
The male robbery victim told Beasley and the 19-year-old that he needed to get it from his vehicle, which was parked nearby.
According to a police affidavit, the male robbery victim pulled a 9 mm handgun from his vehicle and fired multiple shots at Beasley and the 19-year-old, who began running away.
The male robbery victim told police that he was trying to scare Beasley and the 19-year-old by firing shots in the air or behind them.
One of the shots struck the 19-year-old, according to police. Prosecutors said Wednesday they expect to charge him in connection with the incident.
Beasley remains at Androscoggin County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bail.
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