Police were investigating reports of gunfire in Lewiston late Friday.

LEWISTON — Police shut down streets in the neighborhoods behind Central Maine Medical Center late Friday after gunfire was reported in the area.

A woman who lives in the area said a Lewiston police officer had been shot at on Spring Street shortly before 11 p.m. Early reports were that no one had been struck by gunfire.

All available police units swarmed on the area around Spring Street after the reported shooting. Police fanned out along Holland, Whipple, Summer and Riverside streets, shutting down intersections to keep passers-by away.

Lewiston police were joined by officers from Auburn and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department as they began to focus on a house in which they believed a suspect might be hiding.

Several officers with protective vests and rifles in hand surrounded the house. At about 11:30 p.m., the Lewiston police tactical response truck arrived at the scene.

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Police officers due to go off duty at 11 p.m. were held over while the drama unfolded at the end of a busy evening in downtown Lewiston.

Several people in the area, as far away as Main Street, reported hearing at least two gunshots.

Police put out an alert for the driver of a Volkswagen who may have been in the area when the shots were fired. He was described as armed and dangerous. 

It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting. Police remained in the area early Saturday, along with crowds of onlookers who stood at various intersections, watching the drama unfold.


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