PORTLAND, Maine — Two people suffered serious injuries in a shooting in Portland early Monday morning.
It happened in the area of 43 Wharf St. shortly after 1 a.m., according to a release from Portland police. Two officers on foot patrol in the area heard multiple gunshots and responded to the scene, officials said.
An eyewitness to the shooting, who requested not to be named as he works in Old Port, said he was two feet from bullets.
"I saw some crowds on Wharf Street... I was waiting for an Uber as the crowds dispersed," the witness said.
He said when he saw the crowd there was an argument between two men. The alleged victim then walked past the witness before he was shot. The witness said he heard six to seven shots.
"You never think someone is going to get shot... This [was] an argument [that had gotten] out of control, and how did we get to that situation where a guy thought he should pull out a gun as someone is walking away?" he said.
Moments later, police located a 22-year-old woman with multiple gunshot wounds at the corner of Fore Street and Union Street. Police believe she was shot on Wharf Street, walked a short distance, and collapsed, according to the release.
The witness told NEWS CENTER Maine he believes she was shot by a stray bullet.
Police applied tourniquets and rendered first aid to both the man and the woman until an ambulance arrived and took them to Maine Medical Center.
Police have not provided an update on their condition as of 6:50 p.m.
There also has not been an arrest on the case, according to police.
Monday's shooting comes as Portland Police announced new plans Friday to add more officers to the streets after there were five shootings in the city in a span of less than a week.
Police said Friday that they had responded to 42 shootings so far in 2022, which was more than double the number they saw in 2021. They also responded to 17 stabbings, which they said was up by 31 percent since last year.
"The behavior we're seeing is really challenging," Interim Chief F. Heath Gorham said during a news conference on Friday afternoon.
Gorham said the department would eliminate the number of outside overtime details for most traffic and construction work and shift those officers to working on the streets.
Chief Gorham said in some high-violence areas, including the Bayside neighborhood, officers will patrol in teams of two.
"The goal is to show a presence to let the public understand we're out there and we understand the importance. We understand that they're concerned about what they're seeing in their community," Gorham said.
For Michael Levandowski who works as a manager at LeRoux Kitchen, just two blocks from the shooting location, this shooting came as a shock.
"I know there is violence in Portland but I've never been involved... I was sad, I thought it was not good news for Portland," Levandowski said. "I hope it gets addressed quickly so I hope it doesn't hurt our local economy and our local people."
Portland police ask that anyone who may have information about the shooting to call them at 207-874-8575.