PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A suspect remains at large after a teen was shot in downtown Salem on Friday afternoon.
Authorities from various agencies responded to reports of a shooting near High Street and Chemeketa Street around 2:15 p.m. Within an hour, Salem police were clearing out the Salem Center Mall — but clarified it was not an active shooter situation.
While combing the area, officers found one victim — a teenage boy — inside a nearby business. The teen was sent to a local hospital with what is believed to be a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. KOIN 6 News is told he was in the entry way or inside of Columbia Bank on the corner.
Although still unconfirmed by authorities, a news photographer at the scene told KOIN 6 News he learned the shots were fired inside the Kohl’s department store.
A man in the area, who did not want to disclose his name for safety, told KOIN 6 News “at the time, I didn’t realize what I heard was gunshots, it sounded like a nail gun or something because it was kinda echoey,”
Despite searching the surrounding area, officers did not find any suspect and have not taken anyone into custody. However, Salem police say there were no shots fired after the initial shooting, despite what some reports on social media claim.
Downtown streets are currently opening back up, but the remaining police presence could still impact traffic as the investigation goes on.
Salem police issued a shelter-in-place warning for the area and various nearby schools were placed on lockdowns. Salem-Keizer School District confirmed those lockdowns have since been lifted and as of 4:05 p.m., Salem PD confirmed the shelter-in-place had been lifted as well.
The police department says detectives are looking at surveillance video and are trying to get in touch with people who might have seen what happened.