BIDDEFORD — Details are still sketchy and an investigation is ongoing following the deaths of two men in Biddeford on Sunday night.

Biddeford Police officers arrived at 19 Western Ave. around 7 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. State police also later responded to the scene.

Maine Public Safety spokesman Steven McCausland said one man died in an ambulance that had responded to the scene, the other at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

He said he didn’t have the names of the victims at press time. He did say one man was 37 and one was 42, and that neither lived in the building.

Police were searching for a suspect in the shootings, according to Maine State Police at about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The state police tactical team was called in to assist Biddeford Police officers clearing area apartment buildings after the shooting, according to unofficial reports.

The bodies of both men have been taken to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

“Autopsies that will be under way today will tell us more information,” said McCausland.

Officers were gathering evidence both inside and outside of the building throughout the night, he said.

They’re “still investigating the circumstances of the shooting,” said McCausland.

Biddeford Police Chief Roger Beaupre said he could offer little information since the state police are in charge of the investigation. He did confirm that police had been called to the residence in the past, as had the fire department.

This morning, a handful of residents stood talking quietly just down the street from the scene.

No one wanted to give their name, but they spoke of the neighborhood and changes they’ve seen over the years.

“This was a quiet neighborhood for many years,” said one woman, who said she has lived here for 33 years.

One woman said she has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years. She said she didn’t hear any sounds associated with the shooting Sunday night ”“ her air conditioner masks most neighborhood noise.

She said the character of the neighborhood has been changing over the past five years. Drug incidents have increased ”“ but Sunday night’s shooting is unusual.

“This is a first,” she said.

— Staff Writer Tammy Wells contributed to this report. Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].