The red, white and blue lights on the roof of a white police car seen from behind in daylight, with the number 1300 on the roof and concrete columns out of focus beyond
Stock photo. Photo: Envato Elements

NEW BEDFORD Developing, updated 8:45 p.m., Nov. 11, 2026.

Updated 8:45 p.m., Nov. 11: The New Bedford Police Department asked people to stay away. "There is a heavy police presence in the area of Blackmer Street," the department said in a post on its Facebook page shortly before 8 p.m. "Residents and motorists are asked to avoid the area and seek alternate routes while police activity is ongoing." As of 8:45 p.m. police had not announced an arrest or said the scene was clear.

Updated 8:25 p.m., Nov. 11: At about 8:07 p.m. an officer told the units at the scene that a SWAT team had arrived and would be going around relieving them, New Bedford Police Department radio traffic shows. At about 8:22 p.m. officers were told to keep people from coming past the police tape. The radio traffic did not say whether anyone was hurt.

Updated 8:15 p.m., Nov. 11: Police were still at the scene on Blackmer Street, and at about 8 p.m. an officer asked for officers to close Acushnet Avenue at Rivet Street, New Bedford Police Department radio traffic shows. The radio traffic did not say whether anyone was hurt.

New Bedford police surrounded a multi-apartment building on Blackmer Street in the city's South End Wednesday evening, and at about 7:16 p.m. an officer radioed, "We have shots fired again from the second floor," according to New Bedford Police Department radio traffic.

Officers converged on Blackmer Street near South Second Street at about 7:05 p.m., and a minute later the dispatcher cleared the department's main channel for the units at the scene and moved all other police traffic to a second channel, the radio traffic shows. At about 7:12 p.m. an officer told the dispatcher, "We have the multi-apartment building, but we have it completely surrounded," and medics were told to stage a couple of blocks away from Blackmer Street.

After the 7:16 p.m. report of shots fired, an officer asked at about 7:22 p.m. for a shield on the east side of the building. At about 7:28 p.m. an officer radioed that officers and state police believed they had evacuated all the other apartments, and at about 7:30 p.m. a captain told officers on the east side of the perimeter to step back and get out of the range of the building's windows.

At about 7:34 p.m. officers on the outer perimeter were told to put up tape and let no one in, and an officer said shields and negotiators were coming, the radio traffic shows. At about 7:35 p.m. an officer asked for a cruiser to shut down South First and Rivet streets, and at about 7:40 p.m. an officer radioed that emergency management was blocking off Route 18 at Rivet Street.

The radio traffic did not say whether anyone was hurt, and as of 8:45 p.m. police had not announced an arrest or said the scene was clear. South Coast 360 is asking the New Bedford Police Department for details, and we will update this story as police release more information.

What we know

  • New Bedford police asked residents and drivers to avoid the area of Blackmer Street and use other routes while police activity goes on.
  • At about 7:12 p.m. Wednesday, New Bedford officers reported on the radio that they had a multi-apartment building on Blackmer Street completely surrounded.
  • At about 7:16 p.m., an officer radioed that shots were fired again from the second floor.
  • Medics were staged a couple of blocks away, and at about 7:28 p.m. an officer said officers and state police believed the other apartments had been evacuated.
  • At about 7:30 p.m., officers on the east side of the perimeter were told to move back out of the range of the windows.
  • At about 7:34 p.m., officers were told to tape off the outer perimeter, and an officer said shields and negotiators were coming.
  • Police asked at about 7:35 p.m. to shut down South First and Rivet streets, and emergency management was blocking Route 18 at Rivet Street at about 7:40 p.m.
  • At about 8 p.m., an officer asked for officers to close Acushnet Avenue at Rivet Street.
  • At about 8:07 p.m., an officer told units at the scene that a SWAT team had arrived to relieve them.

What we do not know yet

Who fired, whether anyone was hurt, what led police to the building and whether the situation has ended.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The request to avoid the area comes from the New Bedford Police Department's own Facebook post. Every other fact comes from recordings of New Bedford Police Department radio traffic on the public OpenMHz New Bedford Police channels 1 and 2, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, calls from 7:05:34 to 8:25 p.m., transcribed on the SC360 scanner, checked again on a second transcription model and reviewed by South Coast 360. A police response heard on the department's own radio runs at once as a developing story, attributed to that radio traffic, and is updated as police release more. The story names no one, gives no house number, describes no one inside the building and says nothing about injuries, which the radio did not describe. South Coast 360 is asking the New Bedford Police Department for details.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (10)
  1. New Bedford Police Department, Facebook post asking people to avoid the area of Blackmer StreetOfficial post on the City of New Bedford Police Department Facebook page, about 7:52 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  2. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, officers at Blackmer Street and South Second StreetPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:05:34 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  3. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, main channel cleared for the scenePublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 2. Call at 7:06:18 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  4. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, building surroundedPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:12:38 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  5. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, medics to stage away from Blackmer StreetPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:13:10 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  6. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, shots fired from the second floorPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:16:33 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  7. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, shield asked for on the east sidePublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:22:47 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  8. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, other apartments evacuatedPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:28:23 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  9. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, perimeter moved back from the windowsPublic OpenMHz recording, New Bedford Police channel 1. Call at 7:30:10 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.
  10. New Bedford Police Department radio traffic, perimeter taped, shields and negotiators, South First and Rivet streets, Route 18 and Acushnet Avenue closures, SWAT team arrivesPublic OpenMHz New Bedford Police channels 1 and 2. Calls at 7:34:00, 7:34:40, 7:35:40, 7:40:41, 8:00:32, 8:07:29 and 8:22:46 p.m. Nov. 11, 2026.