PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One person was killed after gunfire broke out in Southeast Portland on Wednesday afternoon, police say.
The Portland Police Bureau says two people were shot near Southeast 119th Avenue and Southeast Stark Street shortly before 4 p.m. Once officers responded, one man was already dead with an apparent gunshot wound.
The other victim, also an adult man, was found a few blocks away on Southeast 122nd Avenue. He was rushed to the hospital but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to PPB.
A large police presence that includes PPB’s East Precinct, Focused Intervention Team and K-9 units were on the scene as a homicide investigation gets underway.
Witnesses believe one of the victims was hit while in his truck, with people running after the moving truck to help him after that shooting.
“I was in the park and I heard five gunshots, no breaks in between either of them,” Keagan said.
When gunfire rang out on SE Stark, Keagan was walking with a friend at Ventura park. She couldn’t see what was happening but could definitely hear it.
“It didn’t process in my head, because you are used to hearing ‘bang, bang, bang,’ everywhere in town,” Keagan explained.
A witness who lives nearby told KOIN 6 she heard seven rounds as a gunman shot out the driver’s side window of a black truck. She came outside and saw the truck slowly rolling on the street with the driver slumped over inside.
She said some witnesses tried to physically stop the truck by grabbing the back end in order to help the man. When it finally came to a stop, she ran to the driver to give him first aid and could see he was critically injured.
River City Roofing sits just down the block from the shooting.
“There is a phenomenal amount of crime, I’m actually shocked. I just moved here from Tennessee five months ago. It doesn’t maybe bother me as much it should and just in the past five months I’m legit shocked how much crime is in southeast Portland,” Lucas Smith, general manager of River City Roofing, said.
In addition to the scene on SE Stark, police were also focusing part of their investigation on the Bank of America property.
“It affects a lot of people around here, they are not happy the government is not responsive,” Smith said.
Smith believes more officers are needed to patrol the streets in order to cut down on crime.
“We need more policing or whatever at the very least as a psychological deterrent for criminals,” Smith said.