LEWISTON — Police surrounded a home at the end of River Street on Wednesday night shortly after shots were reportedly fired in the area.

Early reports were that one person was dead in the shooting and by early Thursday morning, police continued to surround the building near the corner of River and Oxford streets.

Shortly after 7 p.m., residents near the intersection of River and Oxford streets reported hearing gunfire, according to witnesses at the scene. A short time later, police swarmed on the area and quickly began evacuating two floors at 171 Oxford St., near the end of River Street.

A witness said that a group of young adults was in the area shortly before shots rang out. Once shots were fired, those youths fled and a car was seen speeding away from the scene.

Lewiston police surrounded a house at Oxford and River streets overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Submitted photos

Witnesses said that after police arrived, they took one woman into custody and brought her to the police station for questioning. Others said the area where the shots were heard is a known drug house and the scene of constant activity.

Several Lewiston police officers, long guns drawn, secured the building while awaiting the team from the State Police. Shortly after 10 p.m., the team arrived at the scene and began to set up. Minutes later, four people exited the apartment house, their arms in the air. They were searched by police and led to safety.

The building that was evacuated is a four-story apartment house. It was not immediately clear how many people had to be cleared.

Over a loudspeaker, police were heard asking a specific person to come out of the house. At about 11:30 p.m., members of the tactical team went into the building but came out minutes later empty handed. They were using a variety of equipment in an attempt to determine what was happening in and around the building.

Police entered the home building again at about midnight, but no one was seeing being taken out. Later, at about 3 a.m., the Maine State Police mobile crime scene lab was at the scene.

The scene of the police operation was a short distance from the scene of a similar police standoff, at Oxford and Cedar streets, over the weekend.