SHELBURNE FALLS — The east-side walkway on the Iron Bridge was briefly closed Tuesday morning while a red stain on the sidewalk was tested for blood by a Massachusetts Crime Scene unit.
“If it was pink or purple or yellow paint, I would have said, ‘Let’s get the fire truck in to hose it down,’” said Shelburne Police Chief Gregory Bardwell, “but it was reddish, with a consistency like blood.”
At around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Shelburne police were notified of a red substance on the Iron Bridge sidewalk that looked like blood, so the police followed protocol to investigate.
“It was the best course of action to section off the area and let (the crime unit) do what was needed,” Bardwell said.
The substance turned out to be paint, but the walkway was cordoned off briefly, during the testing.
Bardwell said the incident is being treated as an act of vandalism. By about 11 a.m., the stain had been washed off and the sidewalk was reopened.