Portland Gunfire Incidents Double, as Neighborhoods Sprayed With Bullets

The city has seen 579 shooting incidents to date in 2021—more than twice the number at this time last year, according to the Portland Police Bureau. In comparison, there were 262 shooting incidents from January to June 2020.

Data provided online by Portland police shows that injuries resulting from gunfire have also increased: The bureau logged 119 injuries from gunfire between January and May 2021, compared with 44 injuries in the same period last year.

Related: Hear from Portlanders living in a neighborhood where gunfire is killing Black people.

The new numbers follow an eventful Fourth of July weekend, when police say they found more than 80 cartridge casings following a July 3 shooting in the Alberta neighborhood.

On the previous evening, July 2, a WW correspondent observed 14 rounds fired along Northeast Going Street; witnesses described to WW gunfire exchanged between two vehicles.

A volley of gunfire erupted at around 7:20 that evening, on the intersection of Northeast Going Street and Northeast Cleveland Avenue. Both vehicles drove off before officers arrived on scene.

Strewn across the intersection were .40 caliber shell casings. One bystander was struck by a single round in the arm, while standing on the southwest corner of the intersection. He received treatment from an ambulance crew before being transported to a hospital.

Nationwide, at least 150 people were killed by gunfire over the holiday weekend, according to the Gun Violence Archive.