WATERVILLE — A man was shot in the leg late Friday, the suspect fled, and law enforcement officials from multiple agencies converged on The Concourse downtown to deal with several fights that broke out afterward, according to police.

Interim police Chief Bill Bonney said Saturday that just before midnight Friday, officers patrolling The Concourse, a large parking lot downtown, heard gunshots coming from the area of Silver Street Extension and found a man, 21, had been shot in the leg. He was suffering from non-life-threatening injuries, according to Bonney.

He was uncooperative with police, but witnesses reported seeing a Black man fleeing from the scene and heading toward Water Street, Bonney said. Police were unable to locate him, he said.

During the investigation, several fights broke out on Silver Street Extension in front of Cancun Mexican restaurant, requiring Waterville officers to request backup from area law enforcement agencies, according to Bonney.

Officers from Fairfield, Oakland and Winslow police departments, as well as deputies from Kennebec Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police, responded and helped restore order. Bonney said in a phone interview that at least 12 officials were at the scene.

Waterville police arrested one man, Devon Marhefka, 23, of Spencer, Massachusetts, for failure to disperse, a Class E misdemeanor. He was released on $500 unsecured bail and is scheduled to appear in Waterville District Court on Aug. 22, Bonney said.

Waterville firefighters helped investigators at the scene by providing lighting to aid in locating any evidence, according to Bonney. He asked anyone with information about the case to call the police department at 680-4700 and ask for Officer Riley Dowe.

In a news release, Bonney praised the teamwork of the multiple agencies that responded.

“Working together with our partners in law enforcement is incredibly important to make sure that we protect people and property from these violent crimes,” he said. “Having six law enforcement agencies on one scene working toward one goal is amazing teamwork and we appreciate the efforts of those agencies in supporting the safety of our officers and community.”

 

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