AUBURN – Police swarmed on Spring Street late Wednesday after a Hannaford employee reported a man had fired a gun outside the store, striking a vacant car in the parking lot.

Glass was broken out of a window in the car that was struck, but the vehicle owner drove away from the area before police arrived.

“Right now, we don’t know who the victim is,” said police Lt. Jason Moen.

Nobody was hurt in the incident. There were more than a dozen vehicles in the parking lot when the shooting was reported.

Officers went to the Hannaford parking lot and to streets around the area when the shooting was first reported.

A witness told police the gunman had fired a single shot and then ran toward Denny’s at Court and Turner streets.

Police stopped two men who matched the description of the suspect near the intersection of Court and Spring streets. The two men were searched and questioned but later released.

It was unknown what prompted the shooting or what type of gun was used. Police fanned out across the parking lot, searching for a spent shell casing. By late Wednesday night, none had been found.

Other officers were questioning people in the area as well as the Hannaford employee who reported the shooting.

“She heard a bang and then the suspect took off running,” Moen said. “We’re trying to determine what type of gun was used.”

Police believe a small caliber handgun was fired in the parking lot. However, they were also considering the possibility a pellet gun was used.

A pile of glass from the car that was shot was cordoned off while police investigated the incident. The car was parked roughly 50 yards from the front of the grocery store.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing a light blue T-shirt with writing on the front and baggy pants. Anyone with information about the suspect or the shooting is asked to call the Auburn Police Department at 784-7332.

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