Tense hospital scene after shooting increases alarm over Portland’s gun violence ‘crisis’
Updated 8:36 PM;
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A flood of Portland police cars responded late Monday to break up a report of a gang fight at the doors to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center’s emergency department, where four people with gunshot wounds had just arrived.
The scene was reminiscent of scenarios two decades ago when officers, street outreach workers and pastors routinely headed to the hospital to cool tensions between rival gangs.
Those days are back, say police, former gang members and community leaders.
The city is on track to shatter its record annual homicide count of 70 in 1987. So far this year, 33 people have died in homicides and about 130 have been wounded in more than 400 shootings. Four people have been killed in the city since a week ago Sunday.
Portland police have responded to four shooting homicides and 14 gunshot injuries this month alone. The agency has also recovered 231 shell casings throughout the city and received 40 reports of shootings since the beginning of the month.
Gresham reeling from two mass shootings so far this year
For more than three decades, Claudio Grandjean has served his hometown as a police officer.
He has worked his way up through the Gresham Police Department, and understands the ins and outs of law enforcement. He has been promoted to sergeant, captain and the current interim chief.
He has worked a beat as a patrol officer, and helmed major projects within the department working to recruit more diverse officers to better represent the community and taking the helm last year on researching and equipping every officer with a body-worn camera.
Pamplin Media Group - Gunfire across Gresham pamplinmedia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pamplinmedia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Seven shot at Gresham vigil Monday night April 27 2021
UPDATE: Disrict Attorney asks public to help identify new suspects; police arrest suspect in original killing.
Seven people were shot while attending a vigil in Gresham for a different shooting victim late Monday, April 26.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. All are expected to survive.
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt decried the violence and called on the public to help identify the suspects.
Police responded to the scene at Southeast 174th Avenue and Southeast Stark Street around 11:30 p.m. According to authorities, people had gathered for a vigil in honor of 22-year-old Alejandro Baraja, who was killed in the same area Monday night.