BIDDEFORD — State Police have identified Charles Raybine, 47, of Biddeford, as the man killed after being shot in his car at approximately 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, in an apartment building parking lot.
Raybine, who was a resident of 6 Rathier St., had an extensive criminal record and was known to police in York County, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.
He had been shot before, in a 2003 incident that police described as drug-related.
As of Tuesday afternoon, an autopsy of Raybine’s body was under way, said McCausland, and the victim’s car was transported to a state police facility.
McCausland wouldn’t say if a weapon had been found or discuss a possible motive.
Police are releasing few other details regarding the incident that occurred at the Parish Place apartment complex parking lot, at 41 Birch St., other than that they are still investigating and have questioned a number of people.
Diana Lemelin, a resident of Parish Place whose bedroom is off the parking lot, said she heard the shots, six in all, early Tuesday morning.
“I’m from California,” she said later that day. “I know gunshots.”
Lemelin said she went to the parking lot as other tenants gathered and police arrived on the scene. She said she saw the victim slumped over in the car. There were two other men in the car who were unharmed, according to Lemelin. In addition, she said, it was her understanding that Raybine was at the apartment building to visit his sister-in-law, who lives there.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Lemelin, who has lived in the building for two years. The mother of two said she is now worried about living in the building and about the safety of her two daughters.
“You don’t feel safe,” said Lemelin.
Because of the shooting, she said, her 9-year-old daughter is afraid someone will come harm her and has already visited a school counselor. Parish Place is a 48-unit building owned by the Biddeford Housing Authority and located just behind St. James School. Classes were held at the Catholic school on Tuesday, although students were kept inside all day until dismissal, according to Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland spokesman Dave Guthro. School Principal Patricia Berthiaume spoke with Police Chief Roger Beaupre prior to the start of the school day to determine if it was safe to open, Guthro said in a statement issued Tuesday, and Beaupre assured her it was.
“The safety of the children and the school community is first and foremost every day,” Guthro said.
Precautions taken at the school, he said, included posting school staff at all school doors to reassure parents of their children’s safety, re-routing buses, keeping students in the building for recess, having the school’s facility manager walk the school’s perimeter every hour, keeping the doors locked ”“ which is done normally ”“ and canceling all extra-curricular activities and sports practices.
Beaupre assured Berthiaume it was safe to resume normal school functions today, according to Guthro.
Raybine was a shooting victim once before, on April 7, 2003. At that time, he underwent surgery for bullet wounds and was released several days later. Raybine, who was then living in Saco, was shot in an Old Orchard Beach home, according to Journal Tribune reports.
The Journal Tribune reported at the time that Raybine had multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen.
The Associated Press reported that Raybine had told police that he was shot when he went to collect money owed him by T. Joseph Glidden and they got into a scuffle.
Glidden admitted to the shooting to Old Orchard Beach Police several days later when he was arrested on unrelated drug trafficking charges, according to the AP report.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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