Police: Fatal NE Portland shooting sparked by confrontation between armed homeowner, protesters
Separately, one killed in SW Portland officer-involved shooting
(Update: New police info)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One person was killed and five others were wounded in a shooting in northeast Portland Saturday night, sparked by a confrontation between an armed homeowner and armed protesters -- about 90 minutes after another person died in a southwest Portland officer-involved shooting, police said.
North Precinct officers responded shortly after 8 p.m. to a shooting call near the intersection of Northeast 55th Avenue and Hassalo Street, near Normandale Park in the Rose City Park neighborhood, officers said.
Officers arrived to find a female victim who was deceased. Five other shooting victims, two men and three women, were taken to area hospitals; police said late Saturday night their status was unknown.
Portland police issued this update Sunday afternoon:
"A preliminary investigation into the February 19, 2022 shooting near the intersection of Northeast 55th Avenue and Northeast Hassalo Street indicates this incident started with a confrontation between an armed homeowner and armed protesters.
"The scene was extremely chaotic, and a number of witnesses were uncooperative with responding officers. Most people on scene left without talking to police.
"Detectives believe a large number of people either witnessed what happened, or recorded the incident as it unfolded. This is a very complicated incident, and investigators are trying to put this puzzle together without having all the pieces. Detectives ask that anyone with information or video please contact Detective Scott Broughton at Scott.Broughton@portlandoregon.gov (503) 823-3774 or Detective Rico Beniga at Rico.Beniga@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0457. The case number is 22-47502.
Two suspects are in custody, according to Portland Police, KPTV reported.
Streets in the area were closed as homicide detectives responded to investigate. Police said the victim’s identity and cause of death will be determined by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Oregonian/Oregonian Live reported Saturday night's shooting came as demonstrators gathered at Normandale Park for a march seeking justice for Amir Locke, Patrick Kimmons “and all others,” according to a graphic promoting the demonstration on social media.
Locke, a 22-year-old Black man, was fatally shot Feb. 2 by Minneapolis police serving a search warrant. Kimmons, a 27-year-old Black man, was fatally shot by Portland police in 2018. A grand jury convened after Kimmons’ death found no criminal wrongdoing by the two officers involved.
And it wasn’t the only fatal shooting of the night. An officer-involved shooting occurred in southwest Portland after officers were dispatched to a disturbance call on SW Broadway Drive around 6:40 p.m. Saturday and learned on the way shots had been fired. The officer-involved shooting occurred during the investigation and while the subject died at the scene, police said no officers were hurt.
Saturday's deadly shootings came less than 48 hours after Portland police reported responding to six shootings in a nine-hour span.
It's part of an ongoing wave of Portland gun violence. Prior to this weekend, 15 people had been killed in Portland homicides in 2022, 14 in shootings.
