NEWPORT — A domestic dispute at 1781 Lake Road in Newport was responsible for the lockdown of a stretch of Lake Road last night.
The incident started at 9:15 p.m., when police say Nicholas Bruce, 31, of Newport, was involved in a verbal dispute with a female. After the dispute, the female reported that while she was leaving she heard four gun shots fired shortly thereafter.
Authorities were notified, and some residents were evacuated, as the search commenced for Bruce. Multiple areas around the residence were searched by officers, with no contact with Bruce being made.
By midnight, a member of the Newport Fire Department was waving traffic away, as Lake Road was blocked off with the search still underway. A helicopter, brought in by U.S. Border Patrol, circled above.
A few residents that had evacuated the street told Newport Dispatch last night that a back door at the house was still open when authorities arrived, and that for a while it seemed that police were not sure if Bruce was still inside or not. As a precaution, residents were told to lock their door and stay inside as police looked for the gunman.
Contact was finally made with Bruce and his welfare was ascertained to be safe. There were no reported injuries.
Police say a civil ticket will be issued to Bruce for violating a municipal ordinance relating to the discharge of a firearm within city limits, and that there is no threat to public safety in connection with this incident.
