Maine man arrested in shooting death of 2-year-old niece during family dispute – New York Daily News

A 19-year-old Maine man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his 2-year-old niece during a family dispute.

Andrew Huber Young, of Wells, Maine, was being held without bail Sunday after allegedly shooting three people – his father, brother and niece, Octavia Huber Young – on Saturday, Wells police said in a statement.

“Two males were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, and a child has died as a result of her injuries,” Wells police said. “She has been identified as 2-year-old Octavia Huber Young of Wells.”

Young was brought to the York County Jail and was being held without bail as the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit continued to investigate, assisted by the Wells Police Department, the agency said.

“It is expected that Andrew Huber Young will face additional charges as the investigation proceeds,” Wells police spokeswoman Shannon Moss said in the police statement.

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Police released little information beyond that.

“This is a family. We need to be sensitive, we need to be cognizant of that,” Moss told reporters near the scene on Saturday, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Some of those family members filled in the blanks on Sunday, with another one of Octavia’s uncles, Craig Higgins, telling the Press Herald that the suspect was another uncle of the girl and that he had shot her father and grandfather. Higgins said Young is the brother of Octavia’s father.

The shooting happened as the father was kicking Andrew Young out of the house, said Higgins, who is Octavia’s mother’s brother.

The tot’s mother, Samantha Higgins, was at work when it happened. She and the father are separated, and the father was living with his parents, Higgins said. When Andrew learned he was being kicked out, he “got a gun and started shooting,” hitting the grandfather in the face and Ethan Young in the arm and shoulder. Ethan was holding Octavia at the time, Higgins said.

Octavia’s mother was too distraught to comment. Octavia was only just learning to talk and form words, her distraught uncle told the newspaper.

“She was absolutely a peach,” said doting uncle Higgins, who had babysat his niece the previous Wednesday. “Oh my God, she was so funny. She was blowing raspberries all day.”