According to a witness, pools of water and matted grass remain Monday morning where police discovered the body of Sahal Muridi, 17, of Lewiston Sunday night at 77 Rideout Ave. in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Police are not ruling out the possibility that three weekend shootings in the city — one of them fatal — could be related.

Police were called to 77 Rideout Ave. about 10:30 p.m. Sunday for a deceased gunshot victim and discovered Sahal Muridi, 17, of Lewiston dead in the roadway.

Witnesses said they saw a Mercedes and a black Dodge Challenger with temporary plates fleeing the scene.

Police identified the driver of the Mercedes who is cooperating with the investigation, according to the Lewiston Police Department.

Maine State Police took over the investigation Sunday, which is customary in homicide investigations.

Muridi’s body was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for an autopsy.

Police said in a Facebook post that they responded to 54 Knox St. at 11:28 p.m. Sunday and discovered over a dozen shell casings on the street. Nobody was struck by the gunfire, but several bullets damaged nearby property, they said.

Several potential witnesses police believed were on the street during the shooting are refusing to cooperate with the investigation, police said.

Several reports of gunfire around 8:20 p.m. Saturday drew police to 253 Blake St. where they found a firearm, shell casings and a vehicle peppered with bullet holes in the adjacent parking lot.

Blake Street residents said they witnessed a man get out of a vehicle on the street and approach the parking lot and shoot at an occupied vehicle. A nearby building was hit and the suspect and victim both fled in their respective vehicles.

There was no indication at the scene that anyone was struck by the gunfire, police said.

Lewiston police Lt. Derrick St. Laurent said Monday that investigations on all three shootings are ongoing, and police are not ruling out the possibility they are related.

Police Chief David St. Pierre issued a statement Monday afternoon addressing police measures surrounding the shootings.

Police are exploring and utilizing a “wide range of crime prevention strategies,” including crime suppression patrols in high crime areas, St. Pierre said. Those patrols will be on foot and in police cruisers, and are part of a larger effort in crime prevention, he said.

In the meantime, Lewiston and state police and federal law enforcement partners are working “around the clock” on the three shootings, he said.

“Societal issues will take a cooperative effort to solve them in our community. Violence will not be tolerated in any part of Lewiston,” St. Pierre said. “We cannot do the work we do without public support. We will continue serving with the highest level of service that the Lewiston Department is known for. It is the mission of the Lewiston Police Department to continue utilizing the necessary resources to identify and seek prosecution of those who commit violence in our community.”

Anyone with information on the shootings should contact the Lewiston Police Department at 207-784-6421.