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Community raises money for I-295 shooting victims

Sean Halsey and his two children were shot while driving on the highway last Tuesday. His daughter is still recovering from critical injuries.

BOWDOINHAM, Maine — There is a new effort to help the family shot and injured during a shooting spree in Yarmouth last week.

Community members in Bowdoinham raised more than $4,000 within 24 hours for the Halsey family.

Sean Halsey and his two adult children, Paige and Justin, were driving on I-295 in Yarmouth last Tuesday when they were hit by gunfire. Paige Halsey, 25, was critically injured but is recovering at Maine Medical Center. 

Police say the alleged shooter, 34-year-old Joseph Eaton, reportedly confessed to killing his parents and two family friends at a home in Bowdoin before shooting at cars on the highway because he thought they were police officers following him.

Eaton is facing murder charges for the Bowdoin deaths. He has yet to be charged in the subsequent highway shooting. 

"I was just horrified," former state representative Seth Berry told NEWS CENTER Maine on Monday. 

Berry started a GoFundMe page this weekend to help the family cover medical expenses. 

"This felt like the least that I could do, and the response so far has been wonderful," Berry said. 

Berry said he is not close with the Halsey family, but Bowdoinham, where they are from, is a tight-knit community that has come together since the tragedy. 

Likely to face mounting medical bills and taking time off from work, Berry said he hopes the money eases some of their burden. 

"You know, I can't speak for the Halsey family, but I know that they are loved and people around them are holding them close right now," Berry said. "We all are."

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