LEWISTON — Police late Saturday were still investigating reports that shots had been fired earlier in the day in downtown Lewiston.
Several witnesses reported hearing a series of at least five shots fired about 6 a.m., near the corner of Bartlett and Walnut streets.
Police who responded spent the morning searching the area for a victim after finding a blood trail in the street and other signs that shots had been fired. Several hours later, Lewiston police Lt. David St. Pierre said no victim had been found.
Police said it appeared the shooting took place at or near 135 Bartlett St.
“You could follow the blood trail for at least 100 yards,” said Charles Soule, who lives in that building.
Several people took to Facebook on Saturday morning to report hearing gunfire followed by the scream of police sirens in the area. One woman said she was asleep when she was roused by the sound of gunshots.
At 1 p.m., police remained at the scene, where detectives had cordoned off the area while collecting evidence and seeking witnesses to the shooting.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” St. Pierre said.
It was not clear Saturday night how many people were involved in the shooting or what motivated it. Some witnesses reported a fight between two groups of men shortly before shots rang out.
According to St. Pierre, the investigation was still active late Saturday.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less