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Couple from Houston shot and killed in front of their children in Maine

Brittney Cockrell, 37, and Michael Hayter, 41, had recently moved to Westbrook, Maine with their children.

PORTLAND, Maine — Police have identified the two individuals who died during a shooting Monday in Westbrook as well as a suspect who has been charged in connection with their deaths. 

Westbrook police were called about a report of a shooting in Westbrook in the area of Main Street and Bridge Street at about 8:30 p.m. and upon arrival reportedly saw a man shooting a woman near a vehicle at a parking lot, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said Tuesday in a news release. 

That woman, later identified as 37-year-old Brittney Cockrell, died at the scene, along with 41-year-old Michael Hayter, both of Westbrook. Their autopsies were conducted Tuesday by the chief medical examiner's office, which confirmed cause of death as gunshot wounds and ruled their deaths as homicide. 

Police said they found two deceased adults, a man inside a vehicle and a woman near the vehicle. Their children were inside the vehicle and witnessed the shootings, according to the release.

Police chased after the suspect, who "physically assaulted a bystander during his pursuit but was then tackled and disarmed by several other bystanders," Moss said. 

The bystander, a 75-year-old man from Westbrook, was brought to Maine Medical Center with minor injuries. 

The suspect, 24-year-old Marcel Lagrange Jr. of South Portland, has been charged with two counts of murder and is being held without bail at the Cumberland County Jail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at Cumberland County Superior Court on June 21. 

Witnesses to the shooting said they are still in shock.

Assad Khlain, who only spoke Arabic and had his nephew, Omar Manahe, translate. The family owns a grocery store in front of the parking lot where the shooting happened.

"The big problem here is the mom and the dad were killed in the shooting, but the biggest problem is the two kids that had to witness this," Khlain said through his nephew.

Khlain said he and another bystander pulled the kids out of their parents' car in order to stop them from having to look at their parents.

"My uncle got them out of the car so they didn't have to see them," Manahe said.

Westbrook Police Chief Sean Lally told NEWS CENTER Maine the children are in the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services until they can be reunited with family.

The release from Maine State Police said there is no known connection between Lagrange Jr. and the victims.

Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Detectives, Westbrook police, and the State Police Evidence Response Technicians conducted the initial investigation. 

Maine State Police ask that anyone with information regarding the incident to contact them at 207-624-7076. 

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