Portland police say a 36-year-old Portland man was killed and another person injured in a shooting late Tuesday night in an apartment on Gilman Street.

The body of David Anderson was found by police who responded to the shooting at 88 Gilman Street. The second victim, who was not identified by police, was taken to a local hospital for treatment and has since been released.

The shooting is the city’s first homicide of the year and was not a random act, police said Wednesday.

Police are now looking for a person of interest, described as a man wearing black pants and a black hooded jacket, possibly white, about 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was last seen running from the building on Gilman Street, according to police. Surveillance photos from inside the building show a figure covered almost completely with clothing, with his face obscured under a hood.

The shooting was reported at 11:07 p.m. Tuesday, according to police.

Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said the two victims were visiting a resident in the building. The resident was inside the apartment during the shooting, he said.

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“The individuals knew each other in the sense that the suspect was there for a reason. This reason in this instance was violence,” Sauschuck said.

Sauschuck would not say what type of weapon was used or how many shots were fired, citing the ongoing investigation. He said he did not know how many people were inside the apartment at the time of the shooting, but there appears there were at least four present: the apartment resident, the two visitors who were shot, and the shooter.

“Everyone we’ve dealt with inside the apartment is being cooperative,” he said.

Anderson’s body was removed from the building by the Medical Examiner’s Office around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The Attorney General’s Office is involved, as is customary for all homicide investigations, police said.

Anderson has a significant criminal record dating back to 1997, including a felony burglary charge and several minor drug or theft charges. His more recent offenses are mostly drug-related, according to records at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.

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His most recent arrest was in Jan. 17 in Westbrook for possession of cocaine, a Class C felony.

Anderson pleaded guilty to that charge in court on Jan. 19 and was sentenced to one year in jail, but the sentence was suspended for a one-year probation term. By Jan. 22, police returned to the Westbrook apartment where he had been living and found he had a crack pipe in his possession and placed him under arrest again. He tested positive during a drug screen at the jail after his arrest for five types of drugs, including heroin, according to court records.

He was released from jail on Feb. 5, but failed to report to the probation office, court records state.

Anderson’s probation officer, Kimberly Gendron, filed a request with the court on March 1 to have his probation revoked. Court records give no indication whether a judge took action on that request.

Anderson’s most recent address was listed as the Oxford Street Shelter in Portland. although he signed a court document on Jan. 29 that listed his address as 114 Gilman St.

Before dawn, crime scene investigators could be seen through windows working on the second floor of the building. By 7:30 a.m., four detectives were combing the gutters and alleyways around Shalom House, which offers services to adults with mental illness and is based on Gilman Street.

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The non-profit organization owns the apartment building where the shooting took place but its residents are not necessarily clients, said Shalom House executive director Mary Haynes-Rodgers. The building was constructed as affordable housing, Haynes-Rogers said, so residents pay for their rent through a variety of channels or programs. She said the building has “quite a bit of security,” but would not elaborate.

“We have a drug and crime problem in Portland,” she said. “(This shooting) could have happened in any apartment or building in this neighborhood.”

Mayor Ethan Strimling was also on scene by about 7:30 a.m., and stood outside the building talking on his cellphone before driving away. He later said after the police press conference that he has confidence in the city’s police force, reiterating that Portland is a safe city.

Yet the area around Gilman Street, located just off Congress Street, between the Maine Medical Center campus and Hadlock Field, remains a center for drugs and other illegal activity, said Francis Bachelder, 30, who lives in an apartment building nearby. Bachelder said he can hardly walk around after dark without someone asking him if he could sell them drugs.

A spokesman for the Medical Examiner’s Office said officials there had no information to release Wednesday morning.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting or who has information is asked to call Portland police at 874-8533 or 874-8575.

This story will be updated.


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