PORTLAND — A 19-year-old Scarborough man died and another man remains hospitalized after being shot late Monday night at an Old Port recording studio.

Police have yet to apprehend the assailants, whom officers described as likely acquaintances of the two men who were shot.

The shooting on Market Street in the Old Port was one of four violent crimes in the city within 24 hours.

Portland police called a news conference Tuesday to discuss the outbreak of violence. Acting Chief Vernon Malloch of the Portland Police Department said “Portland is a very safe city.”

Treyjon Arsenault, one of the shooting victims, died early Tuesday morning at Maine Medical Center, according to Malloch. The other victim of the shooting, a 20-year-old Portland man whom police declined to identify, remains hospitalized in Portland and is expected to make a full recovery.

Police have made no arrests in the shooting, which took place just before midnight Monday at Da Block recording studio at 26 Market St.

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“We believe the parties involved are known to each other, at least in some form,” Malloch said. “This was not a random attack.”

Malloch declined to say whether police have a suspect, but did say police suspect more than one person was responsible for the attack.

No motive has been established.

“Our evidence suggests that seven to 11 people were inside the studio” at the time of the shooting, which took place during a recording session, Malloch said Tuesday. He said reports of a stabbing were not accurate and any other injuries were unrelated.

Police have no descriptions for the unknown suspects, who were last seen fleeing up Market Street toward Milk Street. Several streets in the Old Port were blocked off throughout the morning Tuesday.

The Maine attorney general’s office and Portland Police Department are investigating the incident.

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Other violent incidents

Also Monday, police were called to Sherman Street near State Street for two armed robberies, the first reported at 10:20 p.m.

According to police, a man threatened another man and his three children, ages 10 to 14, as the father parked their car. The family reportedly fled on foot without turning over any valuables.

Minutes later, a 23-year-old Portland woman was held up at gunpoint while stopped in her car in the same area of Sherman Street. Police believe the same suspect, a thin, black man approximately 6 feet tall and likely in his early to mid-20s, committed this robbery. The suspect fled on foot with her purse.

No shots were fired, Malloch said.

At about noon Tuesday, a man robbed the TruChoice Federal Credit Union at 272 Park Ave., fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police said the suspect, described as a thin, black man between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, and wearing oversized glasses, a fake mustache and a dark, Afro-style wig, fled up Forest Street toward Congress Street.

The suspect was wearing a white hat, dark suit, light-colored shirt with a striped tie and black shoes.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the case.

Also Tuesday, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Portland Police Department arrested a 29-year-old Portland man at his apartment on Washington Street for allegedly dealing crack cocaine.

Kerwin Lamour was charged with Class A felony aggravated trafficking in crack cocaine, MDEA Cmdr. Scott Pelletier said Tuesday during the news conference. The charge was elevated because the home is within 1,000 feet of Presumpscot Elementary School.

State drug enforcement agents and the Portland Police Department’s Crime Reduction Unit have investigated the illegal distribution of crack cocaine in the Portland area since April, according to Pelletier, and undercover agents allegedly bought crack cocaine on a number of occasions from Lamour.

At approximately 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Portland Police Department’s Special Reaction Team executed a search warrant on the second and third floors at 592 Washington Ave., and allegedly seized evidence, including crack cocaine, marijuana, packaging materials, two handguns and ammunition.

Pelletier added that a family who rents an apartment on the first floor of the home was not involved in the alleged trafficking.

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Lamour was arrested and taken to Cumberland County Jail, where he remained late Tuesday afternoon on $1,500 cash bail.

Pelletier said the investigation is continuing and additional arrests are expected.

Malloch told reporters Tuesday that the string of violent crimes was “unusual,” and said that until a November 2014 murder, police had not investigated a murder in Portland for two years.

“Portland’s a very safe city for any city, especially for a city of our size,” Malloch said.

Portland police ask anyone with information about the crimes to contact them at 874-8533 or 874-8575.

Sidebar Elements


A Portland police officer talks with people outside 26 Market St. Tuesday morning. A 19-year-old Scarborough resident, Treyjon Arsenault, died after being shot at a recording studio inside the building. A second victim, not identified by police, is expected to recover.


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