SALEM, N.H. — As reports intensified Thursday night about a shooting suspect in a storage facility along the state border, residents in Methuen, Mass., were alerted about the incident and a heavy police response through a reverse 911 notification.
But Salem officials opted not to alert citizens with similar, available technology.
Salem Town Manager Joseph Devine said he was immediately notified by Police Chief Joseph Dolan Thursday evening as Rhode Island and Massachusetts police and federal law enforcement agents converged on the storage facility on Hampshire Road.
Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, 48, was found dead by suicide in a storage unit. He was suspected of a mass shooting that killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and the murder of an MIT professor in Brookline.
Devine said he knew from conversations with police that there wasn’t an ongoing threat to public safety or a need to shelter in place, so a community alert was not activated. Chief Dolan was at a command center set up at the storage facility with other law enforcement officers, he said.
“Public safety is our top priority,” said Devine, adding the incident “was contained and there was no threat to public safety.”
Salem police, he added, kept people safe while ensuring the incident was handled properly.
Dolan on Friday issued a statement on Facebook thanking the Salem community “for the patience and respect you showed to our staff and law enforcement on Thursday evening, as national news came to our town.”
Dolan wrote that “The events that unfolded in our community last night surely prompted feelings of anxiety and fear, but you put your trust in the Salem Police Department and our federal partners to do our jobs to the best of our abilities.”
“We are well aware the work last night dealt with a dangerous suspect who allegedly caused great harm in two states. When we undertake this work, we are ever mindful of the friends and relatives of those who were killed and wounded in Providence and Brookline this past week,” he continued.
“This week has brought sadness, anxiety, and fear to our community, but we will stand strong and stand by our fellow New England communities. Thank you, Salem, for your continued support of the Salem Police,” Dolan wrote.
In Methuen, Police Chief Scott McNamara sent out a reverse 911 call around 7:45 p.m.
“Federal authorities, with the assistance of state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Methuen Police Department, are currently mobilizing resources in the area near the Methuen, Massachusetts, border with Salem, New Hampshire. This activity is connected to an ongoing effort to locate a suspect in an active investigation into a recent death,” he wrote.
McNamara also underscored that there was nothing “indicating an imminent risk to the public or residents of Methuen.”
“However, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant and exercise heightened caution,” wrote McNamara, urging those who see anything or anyone that appears out of place, suspicious or unusual to call police.
Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard said he remained in close contact with McNamara Thursday night as the incident unfolded.
Beauregard noted Methuen officers worked at the scene, which was under wide scrutiny by city residents. The storage unit building is literally steps away from the city border.
“Where it was really right on the line, we wanted to make sure the public had access to as much information as possible,” he said, stressing residents were advised to remain vigilant.
“We took the lead in our community and residents appreciated it,” he said.
Officials in both communities were trying to absorb the full impact of the incident, which attracted international attention.
Devine said he was fielding many calls Friday.
“What a crazy world we live in,” echoed Beauregard.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and Threads at jillyharma.