A group of people are seen in surveillance camera footage at the scene of a Tuesday afternoon shooting in Lewiston. Lewiston Police Department

LEWISTON — A woman who found herself stuck in the middle of a shooting scene on Tuesday afternoon described ongoing rounds of gunfire in two different areas of downtown.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said that after a volley of gunfire on Walnut Street, the shooting continued on Blake Street as the shooters scattered in several directions.

She said the second round of gunfire sounded as though it involved bigger caliber weapons.

A local man, 36-year-old Mickiel James, remained hospitalized on Thursday, two days after he was shot during the gunfight near the corner of Walnut and Pierce streets. James was found bleeding on Pierce Street by police officers who applied a tourniquet before driving him to Central Maine Medical Center.

The shooting remained under investigation Thursday. No arrests have been made. Police have been interviewing witnesses and reviewing security camera footage as they search for suspects.

A group of people are seen in surveillance camera footage at the scene of a Tuesday afternoon shooting in Lewiston. Lewiston Police Department

One woman said she was walking her dog and headed to Poirier’s Market when the first round of gunfire rung out.

“I had to hide,” she said, “standing flat against a building on Pierce between Pine and Walnut.”

She said just as the shots were fired, two young children — she believed them to be first or second graders — stepped off a bus on Pine Street, near the corner of Pierce.

She said she and the children both initially froze at the sound.

“I turned back and asked where they lived,” the woman said. “They pointed. I made sure they went upstairs.”

The woman said she and her dog ran back up Pine Street, toward Blake, when she heard “extremely powerful gunshots going off on Blake Street … I can’t even count how many. They were consistent shots.”

She said she saw four people running from that scene. The woman said she fell once while trying to run in a safe direction. And she saw others scurrying for safety, as well, as shots seemed to be fired from all directions.

She said it appeared that some of the shooters circled the block, firing as they went. At least one building was struck by gunfire.

The shooting occurred at 3 p.m., an hour when the downtown area is heavily traveled.

“It was prime time,” the woman said. “School buses were dropping kids off … There were parents waiting for their kids (and) a lot of people going to the food bank. … It was a nice day out so pretty much everyone was out and about.”

When police first arrived at the shooting scene, they feared that there may be other victims. However, as of Thursday afternoon, it appeared that James was the only person struck during the exchange of gunfire.

He remained at Central Maine Medical Center on Thursday where he was said to be recovering.

James is known to police in the Twin Cities. In 2016, he was wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting where two people were struck by gunfire during a party on Bowdoin Street in Auburn. It does not appear that James was charged in connection with that shooting.

According to court records, James is from Massachusetts but has previously lived in Lewiston and in parts of Oxford County.

In 2018, James was one of nine people arrested in the Rumford area in a drug sweep that police said netted cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and $20,000 cash.

Lewiston police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individuals pictured. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective William Rousseau at wrousseau@lewistonmaine.gov.

A group of people are seen in surveillance camera footage at the scene of a Tuesday afternoon shooting in Lewiston. Lewiston Police Department