PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three people were shot at a street takeover in Portland Sunday night at the same time police were responding to different shootings across the city.
The gun violence prevented police from responding to the many street takeovers where hundreds of people blocked off busy intersections, police said. One of the street takeover lasted about 90 minutes.
At the takeover at Northeast 72nd and Sandy, neighbors had to deal with squealing tires, burning rubber and a flamethrower. Residents who spoke off-camera with KOIN 6 News said there were hundreds of people involved.
“Hundreds, 500 probably,” one neighbor said. “There were cars parked on the median. The entire intersection was completely taken over.”
PPB officials said a large number of officers are needed for big crowd control events like street takeovers and racing. With staffing at historically low levels and several emergency calls Sunday night, there weren’t enough officers to safely respond.
Residents said they are worried the reckless behavior will leave someone hurt.
“I’m particularly concerned because there’s lots of children in the neighborhood, lots of elders in the neighborhood. Because there’s a median, folks are walking around,” one said.
That neighbor also said many of the people at the takeover appeared to be very young.
“I don’t want these kids arrested. I want there to be alternatives that seem better than doing donuts in the middle of the street.”
Around the same time as the street takeover in Northeast Portland, another group blocked off an area near the Expo Center near I-5 and MLK Boulevard.
Details are limited. But police said they were called to that area for a shooting and had a hard time responding because of hundreds of people and cars in the area. Eventually officers found one person with a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
A second person with a gunshot wound was driven to a hospital in Washington and is expected to recover. A third person was taken by a personal vehicle and their condition is not known.
While authorities have not confirmed anyone died, about 100 people gathered at a vigil for 20-year-old Cameron Taylor who they said was shot and killed during the event Sunday night. The vigil was held around sunset with candles and flowers near the spot where they said it happened near the Expo Center.
The family began a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs.
No one is in custody for the shootings or for the takeovers.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.