PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two men are dead and another person has been arrested following a shooting near Barbur Square strip mall in Southwest Portland’s Multnomah Village neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
Officers were called to the scene on Southwest Barbur Boulevard just after 2:45 p.m., and when they arrived, officers found two men dead in the parking lot of a strip mall, authorities said.
Jobanpreet Singh, 21 was detained at the scene before police say he was taken into custody and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of first-degree murder.
Police say Barbur was closed in both directions from SW 30th to Alice Street as detectives investigated. No other details were immediately available.
These shootings mark the 29th and 30th homicides in Portland this year.
“Dealing with a homicide, especially one where it’s in broad daylight and a lot of people around, and especially where we have two people deceased, there’s no question that has a tremendous impact on our community. We recognize that and we are making sure that we do this correctl,” said PPB Sgt. Kevin Allen.
Two men working in the area told KOIN they heard between five to 10 shots go off Wednesday afternoon.
“Like five or six or maybe even seven. They unloaded the whole clip,” said A1 Muffler employee Anthony Marinaro. “I’ve heard a lot of gunshots and stuff around here. I mean, we’re not exactly in the best of areas.”
“That’s the problem we’re having in this whole country, isn’t it? It’s that our mental health is at such a low collectively that there are people out here that are right next to me getting lunch and working here that are getting killed, and how ridiculous that is, how odd and that is, added Mark, an employee at Chevron.
Portland police are asking the public to come forward with any tips and to reference case number 23-115074.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.