A fight between two groups in downtown Portland erupted into gunfire on Halloween night, and the bullets found someone who had nothing to do with the dispute. Police say a bystander was struck by a stray shot near Northwest 3rd Avenue and Northwest Couch Street and was rushed to a hospital, where they are expected to recover.
Fight Between Two Groups Turns Into Crossfire
According to the Portland Police Bureau, two groups got into a fight downtown on Halloween night, and one man from each group opened fire on the other. The person who ended up wounded was not part of either group and was simply caught in the stray gunfire, police said. The injured bystander was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
As of Tuesday, no suspects had been arrested in connection with the shooting, the report notes. Investigators have not released further details about the shooters, the weapons involved, or the exact circumstances that sparked the initial fight. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Portland police.
Not the First Crowd Shooting Near Old Town
An earlier shooting broke out within a group of roughly 100 people gathered in an Old Town parking lot in the early morning hours in August 2025, according to a separate KPTV report. That shooting, which happened around 2:20 a.m. at Northwest 4th Avenue and Northwest Couch Street — just a block from where Saturday's shooting unfolded — left one victim hospitalized in critical condition and a second victim, a woman, expected to recover.
City data suggests that shootings overall have been trending downward. A summary from the Portland Police Bureau's 2025 annual report states that gun violence declined significantly last year, with the bureau investigating 52 homicides as shooting incidents fell for the fourth consecutive year. The bureau also maintains a shooting incident dashboard that tracks reported firearm discharges and allows neighborhood-level viewing, though the dashboard and accompanying report are only updated roughly 15 days after each month ends.
Investigation Remains Open
For now, the Halloween night shooting remains an open case with no suspects in custody. Police have not said whether this incident and last year's Old Town parking lot shooting are connected beyond their shared proximity, and no further updates on the investigation have been released.
