Bomb Scare Closes Shaw's Supermarket in Barrington Shopping Plaza

"Just want to let you know there's a bomb in the store," the male voice said on the main telephone number to the Shaw's supermarket in Barrington early Friday night.

The caller's 6:15 pm warning was relayed to the Barrington police immediately, said Police Chief John LaCross.  

The store manager then started evacuating the grocery store. Shopping carts overflowing with food were left standing in checkout lines on one of the busiest shopping nights of the week.

Within 10-15 minutes, the store was cleared as workers and police officers jogged up and down aisles to ask people to leave. Workers followed shoppers out the door.

"We didn't want people to panic," said Detective Benjamin Ferreira.

Fire trucks and police cruisers with lights flashing were put in place to block access to the parking lot and keep the curious as far away from the store as feasible. At least one man in the parking lot asked a firefighter if he could maneuver around a pumper to leave the scene.

LaCross said the RI State Police K9 unit and the RI Fire Marshal's bomb squad were brought in to search the store. Visual and dog-sniffing searches were made and the building was secured.

"Everything came back negative," the police chief said.

The store was to remain closed for the night but is expected to reopen for business as usual Saturday morning, LaCross said.

"We'll do a little more investigating into the source of the phone call," the police chief said as police officers and firefighters starting pulling out about 8:15 pm.

Soon after the parking lot was reopened, several shoppers drove by the front door and asked if the store was closed. They didn't seem real pleased to find out that there would no more food shopping at Shaw's Friday night. The store usually closes at 10 pm.