A week after a car-to-car rush-hour shooting, police say they still have little to go on.
In the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, police close off SE Powell Boulevard, as they begin to investigate a vehicle-to-vehicle shooting.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
A shootout during rush hour on SE Powell Boulevard near SE 118th Avenue on June 17 brought Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers to the scene at 5:27 p.m.
“Callers reported vehicles speeding out of the area, and that a possible victim was inside one of the vehicles,” said PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson.
Police maintain this outer East Portland crime scene.
Several people witnessed the shooting, including Derrick Drake, who said he was still feeling shaky as he spoke with East Portland News.
“A white Honda Civic pulled off the side of the road, and shot twice at a passenger in the other truck,” Drake said.
“The passenger who got shot was a girl; and man, she was screaming,” Drake added. “Then that drover took off.”
Without either the shooter or victim at the scene, officers look for any evidence left behind on the roadway.
When officers arrived, there wasn’t much of a crime scene to cordon off – just a sliver of the outer East Portland roadway, about 20 feet wide. But, police did shut down all traffic along SE Powell Boulevard.
As they arrived, dispatchers told them that the Portland Adventist Medical Center Emergency Department just received a female gunshot victim, and she was being treated for a non-life-threatening wound, according to Simpson.
“At this time, the motive behind the shooting is not known,” Simpson added, and he didn’t speculate whether the incident might be gang-related.
Police continue to look for evidence, and hope someone will provide more information about this shooting.
There wasn’t much for officers to do, other than maintain the integrity of the crime scene. After about 40 minutes, they formed a search line, and slowly canvassed the area, looking for evidence. There is currently no report about what they may have found.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Police Non-Emergency Line at 503-823-3333.
© 2016 David F. Ashton for THE BEE
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