An officer and K9 search yards off North Street in Saco following reports of a shooting Feb. 9. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
A week after a shooting in downtown Saco prompted the lockdown of nearby schools and a shelter-in-place order that lasted several hours, police are still refusing to release more information about their investigation into three suspects who eluded the manhunt.
Saco police Deputy Chief Corey Huntress said Friday that the department is investigating several tips and leads, but he would not answer questions about the shooting, which police say preceded a car crash involving a school bus at the intersection Elm and North streets. Huntress also said the department did not have a timeline for updating the public about the case.
“Anything that we could release at this time would hamper the investigation,” he said.
Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail praised the police department Friday for communicating clearly with the public immediately after the shooting. Though residents have shared general concerns about the apparently growing number of shootings in Maine, MacPhail said constituents she’s talked to this week haven’t seemed concerned about the lack of arrests or information about the case, partly because the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident.
“Human nature, of course – everybody wants information,” she said. “But I think the difference with this situation is it wasn’t a direct attack on Saco or Saco residents. I don’t think it will encourage any fear or anxieties if they don’t get (information) right away.”
Hours after the reports of gunshots and fleeing suspects in ski masks drew officers from several departments to Saco last Friday, police confirmed some of the details that concerned residents had seen circulating on social media. But many other facts of the case remain a mystery, including the identities of the men involved and why police believe they were shooting.
Several men in a Honda HR-V (police initially reported four but later confirmed there were only three suspects) fired shots at a Dodge Charger at about noon while the vehicles were heading up Elm Street. It is unknown how many people were in the Dodge and whether they also were shooting.
The SUV sped past a red light and crashed into another car, which propelled both vehicles into a stopped Old Orchard Beach school bus. Neither the driver nor any of the students on the bus were hurt in the collision.
Students on the bus were among the witnesses who watched three men jump out of the wrecked SUV and take off on foot.
Police confirmed last week that they believed one of the men had been shot in the arm and that officers had found a gun in the back of the abandoned SUV. Police say they also found the Charger on Friday evening.
Since then, the department has remained tight-lipped.
Like MacPhail, Thornton Academy Headmaster Rene Menard said he was confident in the police investigation. He said the school held an assembly on Monday to reassure students of their safety and to provide information about available counseling services and other resources.
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
