Police investigate the scene of a crash at the intersection of Elm and North streets following a shooting Friday in Saco. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
The suspects in a shooting and multivehicle crash Friday afternoon in downtown Saco remained at large Saturday, authorities said, a day after the incident that temporarily prompted a shelter-in-place order and lockdowns at nearby schools.
Saco Deputy Police Chief Corey Huntress said Saturday that it’s not clear to police how many suspects are at large, but it is more than four people.
Though the suspects haven’t been apprehended, Huntress said there is no ongoing danger to the public.
“If I had to guess, I would say they’re not in the area,” he said.
Huntress said police plan to release an updated statement about the incident Monday.
About noon Friday, first responders received a report of gunfire between the occupants of two vehicles – a red Dodge Charger and a gray Honda HR-V – at the intersection of Elm and Temple streets, police said in a statement. It wasn’t clear if the gunfire was from one car or both.
Both cars have since been secured by law enforcement.
Authorities say both vehicles traveled up Elm Street, where the Honda crashed into another car, which propelled both vehicles into a stopped Old Orchard Beach school bus. Neither the driver nor any of the students on the bus were hurt in the collision.
Students on the school bus saw four men get out of the crashed Honda and run away, said John Suttie, superintendent of schools in RSU 23, which includes Old Orchard Beach High School. Some of the students on the bus took pictures of the men fleeing and shared the photos with Saco police.
Police released photos of three of the suspects. Authorities ask anyone with information regarding the suspects, the shooting or the crashes to contact the Saco Police Department at 207-284-4535. Photo courtesy of Saco Police Department
Police released photos of three of the suspects, including one photographed from the back wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and ski mask. The two other men photographed were from the front, and their faces are visible. One wore a green hooded sweatshirt, while the other wore a cream or white hooded sweatshirt.
Evidence at the scene in Saco indicated that one of the suspects, who was wearing all dark clothing, was shot in the right arm, police said. A firearm was found in the back seat of the Honda. That vehicle has been towed and secured, Saco police said.
The Dodge Charger, meanwhile, was found Friday night at a home off Route 25 in Standish, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said. Law enforcement officers from several agencies searched the home and surrounding area but found no suspects. Huntress said police don’t know how many suspects were in the Charger.
The shooting prompted a lockdown of Saco and Biddeford schools and a shelter-in-place order Friday afternoon. The order was lifted that evening.
Saco police are asking that anyone with information regarding the incident contact them via email at SacoPD@sacomaine.org or by calling 207-284-4535.
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