Just before sunrise on Saturday, a quiet Portland parking lot turned into a live target range when more than two dozen rounds tore through the area, shredding several parked cars and leaving fresh bullet damage behind. Officers rolled up around 5 a.m. to a scene full of shell casings and busted metal, but no victims. Police say whoever was involved had cleared out before they arrived, and detectives are now working the neighborhood for witnesses and security footage.
According to KATU, Portland Police Department believe the shooting happened around 5 a.m. on May 23 and that more than two dozen rounds were fired into the lot. Officers found multiple vehicles marked with bullet strikes and other signs of heavy gunfire. No injuries were reported at the scene. Police are urging anyone who knows what happened to submit a tip, the station reports.
Not The First Parking-Lot Shooting This Year
Portland Police Department have been called to similar late-night and early-morning parking-lot shootings in recent months. In February, officers recovered roughly 32 spent casings in a lot on Northeast Glisan Street and arrested two people, according to a Portland Police Bureau press release. That follow-up investigation turned up firearms and led detectives to pursue unlawful-discharge charges tied to that earlier incident. Police say repeat episodes of rounds sprayed into public spaces only increase the danger to bystanders and make witness tips all the more critical.
How To Help
Investigators say even small pieces of information can matter. Details about cars coming and going, unusual behavior, or any recordings that captured the sound or sight of the shooting could help move the case forward. Police are asking anyone with information to use the bureau's online tip form or call the nonemergency line rather than trying to confront potential suspects on their own.
Under Portland City Code 14A.60.020, firing a gun inside city limits is illegal in most situations. As outlined in the code and recent police press releases, unlawful discharge and recklessly endangering others can bring criminal charges. Authorities emphasize that this case is still active and again urge anyone with video or other information to come forward so detectives can follow up.
