MONTAGUE, Mass. (WWLP) – Police arrested a man back in August in connection with a shooting in Montague. While looking for the suspect, a neighborhood within Montague was closed and a lack of communication caused panic within the town.
The neighborhood is called the Patch and just a few weeks ago some of the residents who live there wish they knew more about the active police investigation that occurred that day. While the investigation was ongoing and the neighborhood was closed, certain residents didn’t know if there was an active shooter or not.
22News spoke to Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis about what he believes is the most important step now in improving communication, “We want to make certain that we review protocols for communication so that the police department, town administration, and the Northwest District Attorney’s office all have a shared understanding of what we can or cannot communicate in a timely fashion.”
He believes that in the case of a future event, the residents of the town will be given more information so that panic or worry does not ensue.
Ellis also made it clear to 22News that he doesn’t believe the police or the DA’s office did anything wrong, he just believes this to be an opportunity to learn and grow for everyone.
Heath Kalb is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Heath on X @HeathKalb and view his bio to see more of his work.
