By Beverly Harvey

Published: March 25, 2008

Residents of a mental health group home in Salem have been temporarily relocated after an unidentified man with multiple gunshot wounds came to the door Sunday night and later died outside the house.

At approximately 8:53 p.m. Sunday, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a call from someone at the East Alabama Mental Health Salem House on Lee Road 175 reporting that an unknown man was outside the house saying he had been shot, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Capt. Van Jackson.

When sheriff’s deputies and Alabama State Troopers arrived at the house, they discovered a man on the front porch who had apparently died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to a sheriff’s office statement. The man had been shot in the torso area, according to the statement.

The victim, who has not been identified, was not a resident of Salem House, Jackson said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:35 p.m. by Lee County Coroner Bill Harris.

Salem House residents were moved to another location Sunday night with no set date for their return, East Alabama Mental Health Executive Director Dr. Anne Penney said. Penney noted that no one at the house was injured.

“All of our folks who live there are safe and sound,” Penney said. “Our highest priority is keeping them safe, and they won’t be back until ... we are convinced they are out of harm’s way.”

The Salem House is a supervised group home for adults with intellectual disabilities, Penney said. The house, a former private residence, has no outdoor signage, she said.

Apparently the victim approached the house in search of assistance, according to a release from Harris. The man did not have any identification, the release states.

The man is described as a black male, between 30 and 40 years old, Harris said. The man’s body has been sent to the state Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy and to be identified, Harris said.

There was evidence at the scene that shots were fired while the man was outside Salem House, but is unclear whether he was shot before or after arriving at the house, Jackson said. The house was damaged by gunfire, according to the sheriff’s release.

As of Monday afternoon, there were no suspects in the case, Jackson said. Anyone with information concerning this case is asked to contact Lee County Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-888-522-7847.

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