Salem Officer Discharges Weapon on North Broadway

A Salem Police officer discharged his weapon at a call for service on North Broadway on Aug. 18, 2015, according to police.

According to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department, at around 10:45 a.m., police received a call from Liberty Utilities stating that one of their employees was at a business located at 286 North Broadway to shut off the power and was met with a gun threat.

The caller alleged that a man carrying a handgun told the utility employee that “he would do what he had to do to keep the power on,” according to police, and requested assistance.

Several Salem Police officers responded to the scene, set up a perimeter, and restricted traffic on North Broadway, according to Dolan. Dispatch also attempted to contact the business via telephone.

“ While officers were getting in place, a male was seen leaving the building and walking away from officers,” according to Dolan. “ Officers issued numerous verbal commands to the male, all of which were ignored.”

Officers began to approach the man while continuing to issue verbal commands. The male alleged refused to show his hands and instead, “turned quickly toward the officers with his hand in a gun gesture.” An officer then discharged his weapon at the man, firing a single round.

“The male was not struck and he was immediately taken into custody,” Dolan stated. “ It was later determined the male was unarmed. No Salem officers were injured in the incident.”

Route 28 was shut down for approximately one hour while detectives began their investigation. The road is now open.

The incident is an ongoing investigation. Booking information about the suspect was not available at post time. Police are expected to release more information late this afternoon.

The first post is below

WMUR-TV is reporting that a Salem Police officer was involved in a shooting earlier today, according to a breaking news post on Twitter. Neither the suspect nor the officer were hurt, according to the post.

Salem NH Patch has reached out to police for specifics about the incident. Lt. Joel Dolan will reportedly have a briefing available by 1 p.m.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates as they come in.