PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car left at a North Portland intersection in broad daylight off North Foss Avenue and Foss Court, police told KOIN 6 News.

Calls of a shooting came in just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday. When North Precinct officers and paramedics arrived at the scene not far from the Charles Jordan Community Center, the 3 victims were already dead.

No arrests have been made yet and no suspects were found at the scene, Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Kevin Allen said. Detectives are actively working the case, speaking with neighbors and gathering surveillance video as they work to piece together what led to these killings.

  • The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (KOIN)
  • The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (KOIN)
  • The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (KOIN)

“Every homicide that we respond to is significant, but anytime we have something like this, where we have multiple victims, it just adds to the urgency,” Allen said. “Anytime you have people who are willing to fire guns in our neighborhoods, there’s a pretty significant risk and pretty significant concern on our part.”

Allen said the motive is not yet known nor the circumstances that led up to this shooting.

“We don’t know whether it was personal, whether it was random. Those things are all part of the investigation. So yeah, we’re super concerned,” Allen said.

The FBI definition classifies this as a mass shooting. To date in 2023, there have been 17 homicides in Portland — 16 of them by gunshot.

“This shooting in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood is another tragic example of how gun violence can affect our community terribly,” PPB Chief Chuck Lovell said in a statement. “I’m also briefing Mayor Wheeler’s office on the investigation. I encourage anyone who has information about this shooting to reach out to our detectives.”

The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (PPB)
The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (PPB)
The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (PPB)
The bodies of 3 people were discovered in a car at the intersection of N. Foss Avenue and Foss Court in Portland, March 25, 2023 (PPB)

“Sometimes when people hear gunshots, they run away, and they may not have talked to us. So, if people were in the area and saw anything, saw anybody running, heard anything that might be significant, we urge them to reach out to us. Sometimes even the littlest tip can be the most important one,” Allen said.

In a statement, Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt said the gun violence affects families and communities.

“Two of my deputy district attorneys are on scene and actively working the case with PPB detectives. While we are in the very early stages of investigation, my office will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice and to provide support to the families during what is likely the worst moment of their lives.”

The case is #23-77440. The lead detectives are:

Allen said he’s aware there is a large concern in the community.

“We want to assure the community that our effort is to determine what really happened here and find who’s responsible and make arrests where appropriate,” he said.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.