PORTLAND, Maine — Two people suffered serious injuries in a shooting in Portland early Monday morning.
It happened in the area of 43 Wharf Street 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.
When the officers got there, they found a 34-year-old man who had been shot "several times," according to the release. 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.
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.
Officials said Fore Street, Union Street, and Wharf Street would be closed Monday while investigators were on the scene.
Portland police ask that anyone who may have information about the shooting call them at 207-874-8575.
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.
Gorham said the department had been operating at a minimum staffing level of officers on the streets, with 25 vacant officer positions.