Young man shot in Centennial neighborhood, perhaps by accident

Officials aren’t saying much about the case – but what we learned as it unfolded makes it a very interesting story, nonetheless …

Police block off SE 148^th Avenue a block south of SE Stark Street while they look for a gunman – and victim – in the Rosewood area.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton
When calls started coming in at the 9-1-1 Center a little after 9:00 p.m. on December 2 reporting a shooting at an apartment complex, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct District Officers raced to the scene.

The only problem was, it seemed, they couldn’t find a shooting victim – or a gunman – at the Greenview Terrace Apartments at 620 Southeast 148th Avenue.

A police officer talks with a neighbor about the shooting.

As officers started their investigation at 9:18 p.m., police dispatchers received a call from Portland Adventist Medical Center in the Mill Park Neighborhood reporting that a gunshot victim had been brought to their Emergency Department by a friend.

Officers went to the hospital to speak with the gunshot victim, who was later transported to another hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, other officers continued to search for the shooter in, and around, the single-story apartment complex — without success.

Police find many people in the area, but none will say who the shooter or victim is.

At the scene, a neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told East Portland News, “I heard a loud bang; maybe two or three of them. Then, I heard a guy shouting, ‘Oh, man, I’m sorry – I’m really sorry’.”

“The victim, identified as 23-year-old Justin Matthew Fennern, a resident where the shooting occurred, is being treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound,” PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson reported. “Officers checked an apartment in the complex for additional victims and/or suspects but did not locate anyone inside.”

As we prepared this report, there is still no suspect information regarding this shooting, Simpson reported.

Officers discuss strategy, after they find the apartment where the shooting was said to have taken place devoid of suspect – or victim.

At this point, there is no solid suspect information and investigators have not yet established what led up to the shooting, Simpson added. “Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Assault detectives at (503) 823-0400.”

We’ll update this story as it unfolds.

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