Parking dispute may have led to Maine shooting deaths: police

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - A dispute between neighbors over street parking may have led to the shooting deaths of two Maine teenagers, authorities said on Sunday after charging a 74-year-old man with murder in connection with the incident.

Derrick Thompson, 19, and his girlfriend, Alivia Welch, 18, were killed on Saturday night in their apartment inside a two-unit home in Biddeford, Maine, about 15 miles southwest of Portland, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said.

Thompson's mother, Susan Johnson, 44, who reported the shootings to authorities shortly after 7 p.m. EST, was being treated for gunshot wounds at Maine Medical Center in Portland, state police. A six-year-old boy also was removed from the building uninjured.

James Pak, who owns the building and lives in the other unit, was arrested on Saturday and charged with two counts of murder.

Police had been summoned to the residence earlier on Saturday because of an argument over parking, McCausland said. A Biddeford police spokeswoman said the city banned street parking from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. to allow for snow removal.

McCausland said the dispute appeared to have been resolved before the shooting occurred but gave no further details.

Pak was being held in a local jail and was expected to appear in court on Monday or Wednesday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney. (Edited by Karen Brooks and Paul Simao)