MOORHEAD — Police in Moorhead responded to what they initially thought was a gunman on Wednesday, Nov. 19 , but the situation turned out to be a malfunctioning HVAC unit.

An officer working on a case near the 1800 block of 20th Street South, close to Romkey Park, reported hearing what he believed was a gunshot. Reinforcements were called in about an hour and a half later.

“This is a veteran officer that is also a firearms instructor, and so he very much knows what the sound of a gun is like. And you know, this happened in very close proximity to him as well,” said Chief Chris Helmick.

Due to the uncertainty, a shelter-in-place notification was sent out at 12:26 p.m. to residents between 12th and 24th Avenue South, from 14th Street to 26th Street. The alert also automatically went to a

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