Police Swarmed by Hostile Crowd After Late-Night Shooting in Downtown Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. — All available Portland Police units descended on the Old Town Neighborhood with lights flashing and sirens blaring when a small contingent of officers came under threat from a hostile crowd.
The policemen were trying to attend to a couple who had been shot in a parking lot after the closure of a nearby bar.
The incident occurred at 2.20 a.m. yesterday (Sunday) at Northwest Couch Street and Northwest 4th Avenue. Central Precinct officers were assigned to monitor a crowd of about 100 people who congregated in the parking lot.
When the police heard gunshots, they converged on the scene and found an adult couple suffering from gunshot wounds. While some of the officers initiated first aid on the victims, the rest of the contingent tried to form a safety cordon around their colleagues.
A Hostile Crowd Surrounded the Police
According to the police, they were surrounded by about 50 people who tried to break through the cordon of officers.
Significantly outnumbered by a hostile crowd, a police sergeant requested that all available police respond to the scene with lights flashing and sirens blaring.
Meanwhile, policemen moved the male victim to a safe area so that he could be reached by emergency medical services. He was transported to the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where his injuries were described as critical. His current condition is not known.
The officers then helped the female victim, who was still conscious. She was also admitted to the hospital, where her injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Hospital Placed on Lockdown As Hostile Crowd Converged on the Emergency Room
The Legacy Emanuel Medical Center was placed on lockdown – Code Silver – when a group of about 30 people converged on the hospital and attempted to gain access to the Emergency Room. Their behavior towards hospital security officers was described as hostile.
The Portland Police Crisis Response Team de-escalated a tense situation and assisted the family and friends of the victims.
The case is under investigation, and the police are appealing to anyone with information about the incident to email [email protected]. The reference case number is 25-208367.
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