Political hopefuls – and elected officials – wonder why East Portlanders keep asking what they’ll do to curb gang violence. This incident was no April Fools joke; it’s another sad example …
Police say no one was injured, and they couldn’t find any property damage, after a shooting was reported outside this theater.
Story and photo by David F. Ashton
The calls that started coming in on April 1 about a shooting at the theater in Eastport Plaza weren’t an April Fools gag. It was, instead, another example of escalating gang violence in outer East Portland.
“The shooting occurred about 8:00 p.m.,” confirmed Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Officer Catherine Kent.
Based on information she learned from responding members of the Gang Violence Reduction Team, “Two subjects were confronting an alleged rival gang member who was armed with a gun.”
That’s when the gunshots rang out. “Shots were fired. The shooter ran inside the cinema and exited. The gun was recovered. No one was injured.”
Two possible Hispanic gang members were detained when they were observed running from the area with baseball bats, Kent told us. Eventually, the two subjects were released and not charged.
“There is no suspect information at this time,” added Kent. “The investigation is continuing.”
© 2008 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
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