Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Salem Police arrested a 22-year-old man in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 6 after responding to reports of gunfire in the eastern part of the city.
Officers were called to the 100 block of Wortham Street around 4:44 a.m. for a report of shots fired, according to the Salem Police Department. When they arrived, officers encountered a man later identified as Lazarus Powell of Salem, who was armed with a handgun.
Police said Powell refused to leave the residence and retreated inside. Members of the department’s Emergency Response Team and negotiators responded to the scene and spent several hours communicating with Powell.
After multiple attempts to persuade him to surrender peacefully, Powell exited the home without further incident and was taken into custody, authorities said.
Powell was charged with reckless handling of a firearm and discharging a firearm within city limits. He was transported to the Roanoke County-Salem Jail, where he remained as of last week.
No injuries were reported, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
