Police on Friday night continued to surround the New Hampshire home of a woman who was shot during a Saco home invasion Thursday, drawing attention to a quiet neighborhood that a neighbor said never gets visited by police.

Rachel Owens, 55, was visiting a home at 25 Hillview Ave. in Saco when an intruder broke into the house at 2:47 a.m. Thursday and shot her and the homeowner, Steven Chabot, 55. Each was shot multiple times.

Owens is from Londonderry, New Hampshire, and several police units, including members of the New Hampshire State Police, had secured the house on Thursday to help Saco police in the investigation, a New Hampshire State Police spokesman said. The spokesman deferred all other questions to the Saco Police Department, which is the lead agency in the investigation.

Saco Deputy Chief Jeffrey Holland said police continue to investigate the case but released no new details on Friday.

Chad Martin, who has lived next door to Owens and her husband, Gregory Owens, for more than 20 years, described them as a friendly couple.

“They’re nice people, very friendly. That’s why I’m a little shocked,” Martin said. “The police have never been there,” he said of the split-level house at 3 Winthrop Road in Londonderry. He described the neighborhood as quiet, with just four houses.

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Rachel Owens has family in Maine and often travels here, asking Martin to plow the driveway at the house while she’s gone, he said.

Gregory Owens retired as a sergeant major in the Army and often travels for business, though Martin said he did not know what Owens does for work.

Saco police are being assisted in the investigation by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit. They had planned to continue gathering evidence from the Hillview Avenue house, some of which was to be transferred to the state police crime lab in Augusta for analysis.

Steven Chabot and his wife, Carol, were confronted by an armed intruder Thursday and sought refuge in separate rooms, police said. Carol Chabot hid under furniture and was not harmed. Owens was shot while trying to avoid the intruder in a separate bedroom, police said.

ONE DETAINED FOR QUESTIONING

Police said Thursday that one person was detained for questioning in Londonderry but was not charged. Police would not provide any other details about the person or circumstances leading to that person’s being held by police.

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Police maintained a presence at the home in Londonderry on Friday night, with crime scene vans and police cruisers parked in front of the home, according to WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire. The property was surrounded by police tape and large outdoor lights had been set up on the property. Investigators could be seen going in and out of the house throughout the day Friday, the TV station reported.

Police have not said where Gregory Owens is, according to WMUR. The television station also reported that the Owenses have one adult son.

Both shooting victims were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where they underwent surgery. Police would not provide updates Friday on their conditions, though police early Thursday said they were expected to survive. A hospital spokeswoman said she had no information about the two injured people.

Police did not characterize the relationship of Rachel Owens to the Chabots or speculate on why the house was targeted. Police did say they do not believe the attack was a random act of violence and did not feel the community was in any danger.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham contributed to this report.


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