LAWRENCE — A man shot his girlfriend inside their apartment here Tuesday, then barricaded himself inside, touching off an exchange of gunfire with police before he took his own life, police said.
Authorities did not identify the couple, but the woman’s sister, Cleopatra Reynoso, said Yenny Santos was shot five times, and doctors were not sure she would survive.
“I don’t know what to say, because she is grieving for herself,’’ Reynoso said in a phone interview. “She’s breathing. She was talking. And telling them she’s in pain.’’
Santos was shot in the head, neck, arm, and ribs, her sister said. She was in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The couple’s 4-year-old son witnessed the shooting but was not harmed, Reynoso said. When she talked to him later, he could barely speak.
“He wasn’t able to talk at all,’’ she said. “He was in shock.’’
Another 10-year-old child who lived at the home was in school at the time, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office. Both children are now in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families.
Gunshots rang out around noon at the three-story home on Melrose Street, bringing the neighborhood to a standstill. Police, including a SWAT team, cordoned off the neighborhood and evacuated people from nearby buildings.
Lawrence Police Chief James Fitzpatrick said the gunman, who was 34, fired at police, and that an officer returned fire before the man killed himself.
A neighbor who lives in the building said police had told him that the victim fled downstairs into his apartment, leaving blood on a bed and the walls. Investigators remained at his house through the late afternoon, and he and his family were not able to return for hours.
The neighbor, who asked not to be named, said he had heard the couple arguing before, but that he was shocked to hear a gunshot, followed by the terrible sound of something falling.
“I never thought that they would go to that extreme,’’ the neighbor said. “Not like that.’’
The neighbor said he called police, and drew them a sketch of his apartment because the building’s units are similar in layout.
As police investigated, neighbors and family members gathered nearby, seeking any information about what happened. Many residents were parents whose children go to school nearby.
“My daughter’s school is right up the street,’’ said one woman, who asked not to be named out of fear for her safety. “You’ve got to watch yourself to make sure you’re okay.’’
The woman said she came to the scene to make sure the incident had not involved students. The Hennessey School and the Guilmette Middle School were both placed on a “soft lockdown’’ during the shooting, keeping students inside, said Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera. He emphasized that neither school was in the line of fire.
“It’s a tough thing,’’ he said. “No one can expect this kind of thing to happen in the middle of the day.’’
Around 2 p.m., an official in a bright green jacket quickly carried a child from the home. Shortly after, a person was carried out on a stretcher. Police said the woman, who is 36, was able to talk when rescuers reached her.
On Tuesday evening, Santos’s family was gathered at the hospital as authorities continued to investigate what led to the attack.
Santos’s boyfriend was a quiet person who was often angry, Reynoso said.
“He wasn’t able to express himself about any issues,’’ she said. “If something bothered him, he’s not a person who can express it at all. He just gets mad all the time, maybe cries.’’
John R. Ellement of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andyrosen.
