The Gresham Fred Meyer that police evacuated to search for an armed man has reopened.
At about 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, police evacuated the store, located at 2497 S.E. Burnside Rd., after a report of a man pacing around with a gun, said Lt. Claudio Grandjean, Gresham police spokesman.
As police cleared the store, they encountered a local transient with mental health issues who police are familiar with. He matched the description of the pacing man, but was not armed, Grandjean said.
Police searched the building for a gun and found none. "We don't believe there ever was a gun," Grandjean said. People were allowed back in at about 5 p.m.
The transient is not in police custody because he didn't break any laws, Grandjean said.
It's a false alarm, part of the hair-trigger feeling people have right now, he said.
People across the nation are reeling after two horrifying mass shootings this week, including one at Clackamas Town Center.
On Tuesday, Dec. 11, a young man opened fire at the mall bustling with holiday shoppers, killing two adults and seriously injuring a 15-year-old girl.
Then on Friday, Dec. 14, another young man armed with three guns walked into a Connecticut elementary school and fatally shot 26 people, including 20 children.