South Portland police have charged two men with attempted murder in connection with a shooting and stabbing late Wednesday night at the city’s recreation complex off Highland Avenue.
Lt. Frank Clark said police arrested Essa Sayed, 18, of Portland, and Zachary Swain, 18, of Cape Elizabeth, on Thursday evening. They were held in the Cumberland County Jail in Portland on $100,000 cash bail each.
Sayed and Swain allegedly shot and stabbed two people during what South Portland police are calling a drug deal involving “a relatively small quantity of marijuana.”
“This is an apparent incident in which the presence of drugs and money, not surprisingly, led to bad decisions and violence,” Clark said in a news release.
One victim, a 19-year-old from South Portland, was shot. He was treated at a Portland hospital and released.
The other victim, an 18-year-old from South Portland, was stabbed. Clark said he remains hospitalized at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
“He is expected to recover,” Clark said.
The victims’ names were not released by police.
Clark said the investigation is not complete. Police plan to interview witnesses who were sitting in Sayed and Swain’s car to determine who fired the gun and who used the knife.
Police say the victims met Sayed and Swain around 10:45 p.m. at the Wainwright Recreation Complex parking lot on Gary L. Maietta Way. The athletic field complex is in a relatively remote location, a significant distance from homes and street lights, police said.
Clark said the men met at the complex to conduct a drug deal.
When asked what triggered the violence Clark said, “(Sayed and Swain) wanted the drugs, but they didn’t want to pay for them.”
Despite their wounds, the victims drove themselves to Mercy Hospital in Portland before the stabbing victim was transferred to Maine Medical Center.
The Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office will consider whether additional charges should be filed. Clark said there could be more arrests.
Clark said he is not sure if Sayed and Swain are in high school.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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