Share Your Experiences From the Watertown Shootings, Lockdown

Police lifted the lockdown order in Watertown and the Boston area, Friday evening following Friday morning's shoootout, but police ask residents to remain on the lookout for the remaining Boston Marathon Bombing suspect.

Now that you have the freedom to get out of the house and roam the town, what will you do this weekend? Do the increased police patrols in town make you feel safe with the bombing suspect on the loose?

Share your stories, thoughts and photos on Patch.

3:06 p.m. - A Boylston Street resident tells Patch Police SWAT teams have been going door to door in the neighborhood. She saw a big armored vehicle come down the road, and it parked a few houses away. SWAT members with their shields in front of them went to neighbors' doors, and into backyards. The resident said at one point, police took a break, sitting on the sidewalk to eat lunch before resuming their search.

When police arrived at her door, they knocked, asked a few questions, but did not enter. The police at her door were from Nashua, N.H. Additional teams in the area include the Gloucester police, Gloucester and Billerica K-9 units and Lowell General Hospital paramedics, she said.

"It was scary to see the guns pointed at the house, but they were very nice," she said.

2:45 p.m. - The lockdown continues as police seach for bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev. Channel 5 showed employees at Target being allowed to head home after a long night. Most in town don't have that luxary.

While residents cannot go out to grab a bite, Dunkin Donuts has opened its doors to the many police officers in Watertown, according to Dunkin's Twitter feed.

12:45 p.m. -  Friday was a wild, dramatic night in Watertown.

From our story constantly being updated on the Boston Marathon bombers manhunt Belmont Patch Editor Franklin Tucker heard the gunbattle in the dark of night; others heard the sirens and copters and explosions; everyone is under lockdown. 

Donohue's Bar & Grill sat near the center of the action, and owner John Donohue - who is also a Town Councilor - said he left Thursday night and ran into dozens of police cars on Mt. Auburn Street in Coolidge Square. 

Nicole Price of Melendy Avenue thought she heard fireworks late Thursday, but heard about the MIT shooting on the news and wondered if they were related. 

"I heard big booms and then I really got scared," she said. 

She and her parents went out and saw a man lying on the ground near Mt. Auburn Street, and police told them to go back inside. 

"I heard more gunshots, at least 12. We were all scared," Price said around 4:30 a.m. Friday. "Now it is hitting home," she added. "You can't get any closer. It is in my backyard ... none of us are sleeping."

While he was able to get home, Donohue's staff got locked down in the pub overnight, Donohue said during an interview on Huffington Post Live on Friday morning.

In parts of Watertown removed from the action Friday has been very quiet. District C Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, who lives on the west side of Watertown, said the area he lives in has been very quiet all morning. Residents appear to be staying indoors as advised.

 “Yes, very quiet — no cars, nobody out walking dogs,” Piccirilli said. “It’s the quietest I’ve seen it in a long time.”

Piccirilli said what he knows about the manhunt is what he’s seen on TV.

"The town is in lockdown, so we can't go anywhere or do anything," said Watertown Council President Mark Sideris from his Watertown home. Sideris added that a friend who walked through the normally bustling Watertown Square told him: "it looks like a ghost town."

Sideris said the city sent out a reverse 911 call to Watertown residents about 3 a.m., asking people to stay in their homes. Sideris said he has heard not everyone got the call. Did you get a 3am call from the city?

Amy McCreath, pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd on Mt. Auburn Street, was in Washington D.C. this week, but she plans to mark the difficult times in Watertown, Boston and beyond on during services at 10 a.m. on Sunday. 

What are you seeing and hearing now? What about last night? 

Share your story by describing the scene outside your door or tell us how you're feeling about the situation by blogging on Patch.  

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Governor Shuts Down T Service as Bomber Manhunt Continues