Two law enforcement officers were thrust into the media spotlight after Maine's deadliest shooting. Now they’re facing each other in an election.

Two law enforcement officers who were allies when they faced tough questions about their interactions with an Army reservist who last year killed 18 people in Maine’s deadliest shooting are squaring off to become sheriff.

Police said 52-year-old Kenneth Ellis led officers on a chase from Conway, New Hampshire, to Fryeburg, Maine, after driving erratically.

According to the attorney general’s report, Ellis ran toward the officer with a knife before the officer opened fire. The officer believed Ellis posed an immediate threat to his life, the report said.