In Montavilla, 150 bullets strike apartments and cars, injuring one, in what looks like a ‘revenge’ shooting. More shootings take place in Roseway and Parkrose, with more injuries …
This formerly quiet outer East Portland side street in the Montavilla neighborhood, adjacent to Multnomah University, has been the scene of one gun murder – and then was shot up, days later.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Week after week, shootings continue in outer East Portland. In one incident, it must have seemed to residents that they were inside a war zone!
>> See a graph of the rising murder rate – part of a document released on August 5 called “Recognizing When a Mistake is a Mistake”, below …
Bullets fly, again, in Montavilla
Several of these townhome units now have boarded up windows; they were shot out in a hailstorm of bullets – right here, where a man was mowed down by gunfire just days earlier.
On Saturday, July 27, 19-year-old Mr. Mister Ford suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and died on the pavement near townhome apartments on NE 87th Avenue, north of NE Glisan Street, and adjacent to Multnomah University. [CLICK HERE to read that story.]
So far, there have been no arrests in that incident. Now, officials won’t say whether they’re expecting more shootings in the area.
July 31: ‘More than 150 rounds fired’: same location, 4 days later
Apartments were shot up – and so were vehicles, such as this one, parked along the residential side street.
Then came a hailstorm of bullets, just four days after the murder of Mr. Mister Ford, on July 31 about 11:00 p.m. Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers were again dispatched to the same area – the 600 Block of NE 87th Avenue.
After officers secured the crime scene, the subsequent investigation “determined that more that 150 rounds were fired outside of an apartment building,” according to PPB spokesperson Lt. Greg Pashley.
Officers provide first aid to a woman with an arm wound, before an ambulance pulls away to take the shooting victim to a local hospital.
“One round struck an adult female victim in an arm; officers applied a tourniquet, and she was transported to the hospital by ambulance with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries,” Pashley disclosed.
Although no other injuries were reported to Portland Police, Pashley remarked, investigators did find that bullets struck at least eight occupied apartments and seven vehicles. It is unknown if any had been occupied at the time.
After finding bullet holes in the siding of her apartment, a resident told us that she’s moving out.
“We’re moving out as soon as we can, because of all the gangsters around here turning this into a ‘war zone’ – we’ve gotta get away from these thugs,” a woman, who asked not to be identified, told East Portland News. “A guy was shot to death here, just the other night. I’m pretty sure a gang shot up the area to ‘get even’ for that shooting.
“First, the politicians downtown say we don’t need a ‘Gang Unit’; then that Police Commissioner [Mayor Ted Wheeler] cancelled the police’s ‘gun getter guys’ [Gun Violence Reduction Team] – I just don’t know what they’re thinking…”
Anyone with information about this latest shooting is asked to call police non-emergency at 503-823-3333 and reference Case # 20-238571.
July 31: Shooting injures one, in Roseway neighborhood
Police close down streets as they investigate yet another shooting, this one in the Roseway neighborhood, on NE Fremont Street.
Also called out, on July 31, at almost the same time, were PPB North Precinct officers – because of another shooting. This one near NE 81st Avenue and NE Fremont Street.
After being dispatched at 10:57 p.m., those officers closed down NE Fremont Street between 81st Avenue and 82nd Avenue of Roses to begin another investigation.
“A victim was been transported to the hospital; no patient condition information is available,” Lt. Pashley informed.
No further information about this crime was available at the time this story was reported.
August 5: Yet another shooting in Montavilla wounds man
Police block SE Division Street as they investigate another shooting.
Along SE Division Street, near 91st Avenue, a man grabbed his midsection and fell to the street on August 5 triggering the dispatch of East Precinct officers to the area at 3:16 a.m.
“Investigating the report of someone shot, officers found an adult male who had been shot in the stomach,” confirmed police spokesperson Officer Derek Carmon.
“The victim was uncooperative with officers and would not provide details of the incident; but given the circumstances, there is no ongoing threat to the community,” Carmon added
The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
If anyone has information about the shooting and has not been contacted by investigators, they are asked to call the non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.
August 6: Person suffers gunshot wounds, in Parkrose
More bullets fly during another daytime shooting as police investigate this incident, in the Parkrose neighborhood at the Courtesy Inn Motel.
It was PPB North Precinct officers who were dispatched on August 6, 2020 at about 3:16 p.m. to 11300 Block of NE Sandy Boulevard to investigate this daytime shooting.
“Officers found that one person had been shot; that person was transported by ambulance to the hospital with what appeared to be a non-life threatening wound,” said PPB Public Information Officer Lt. Pashley.
Apparently the shooter made a successful get-away. “Officers canvassed the area to look for witnesses, evidence or victims,” said Pashley, but without result. “This is an ongoing investigation.”
Gun violence, illustrated
This chart, created by the Portland Police Association, in a document they released, called “Recognizing When a Mistake is a Mistake”, shows this disturbing trend.
According to statics provided by Portland Police Association President Daryl Turner:
- In July alone there were 15 homicides compared to 31 homicides in all of 2019.
- There were 98 verified shootings in July 2020 compared to 35 in the same month last year (there were 110 shootings total in 2019).
- Of the 98 shootings last month, there were 38 victims shot (34 males, 4 females, 25 Black, 4 Hispanic, and 9 Caucasian).
- For reference, Portland has averaged approximately 28 homicides per year in 2015-2019.
To open a PDF document of “Recognizing When a Mistake is a Mistake”, CLICK HERE.
© 2020 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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