Police Search Woods After Man Fired BB Gun Behind Salem Walmart
SALEM (CBS) – Dozens of police officers spent Sunday morning searching for a man who fired what is believed to have been a BB gun behind a Salem Walmart store. Just before 11 a.m., someone called Salem Police to report that a man with a rifle had just run into the woods.
The windows of a backhoe loader behind the store had been shattered by a projectile.
Police described the suspect as a black or dark-skinned man who was about 6'0" tall wearing a gray sweatshirt.
Police from Lynn and Peabody joined SWAT teams searching for the suspect.
"Guns drawn the whole time. I saw the cops going through Lynn for the most part, going really fast speeds, going through, and I was just surprised. It was scary," said Salem State University student Christian Burt.
Jason Anderson was driving his dirt bike on the trails where police were searching for the suspect. "They had me at gunpoint at first because they were looking for somebody and they realized I wasn't the person they were looking for. They asked me if I saw somebody, I said yes I saw somebody back in the trails somebody wearing a blue jacket was all I really remember, once I saw him, I turned around," he said.
Evidence was found that indicated it was likely an air rifle and BBs were believed to be the projectiles that shattered the backhoe windows. It is unclear what the suspect was targeting.
"I have a twelve-year-old granddaughter and there's children in the neighborhood and Salem is pretty safe, so we don't want this happening," said Salem resident Helen Jaworsky said.
By late Sunday afternoon, police cleared the scene without locating the man.
"It's frightening, it's disheartening because you don't know," Jaworsky said.
There were no reports of any injures.
The incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Salem Police.