WESTBROOK, Maine — Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has ruled that two Westbrook police officers were justified in using deadly force during a confrontation that left a 37-year-old man dead in November 2024.

The report released to Westbrook Police Chief Sean Lally concludes that Sgt. Brian Grasser and Officer Maxwell Sawyer acted reasonably when they shot Ryan Nichols after he armed himself with metal pipes and swung them toward officers.

Police were called to a home on Arlington Avenue around 3:22 a.m. on Nov. 30 after a woman reported her brother, Nichols, was assaulting family members, including a 77-year-old stepfather. Nichols’ mother told police she feared her son, who was not taking medication and had stolen money from her. Officers learned he also had active warrants for assau

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