Copyright The Oregonian
Two people died in separate shootings on Sunday in a year when homicides and shootings are both trending downward. Police chief Bob Day lamented the deaths on Monday and pledged detectives will conduct thorough investigations. The deaths, in a parking lot downtown and a North Portland gas station, resulted from two of at least five shootings police responded to over the weekend. Police officials do not believe any of these incidents are connected and had made no arrests as of Monday afternoon. “Sadly over the last few weeks, we have experienced some tragedies and loss of life in Portlanders,” Day said. “Any loss of life, regardless of the circumstances, is a tragedy for us as a community.” The number of homicides in Portland continues to trend downward compared to past years, Day said. Including Sunday’s shootings, Portland has seen 41 homicides in 2025, police said, down from 62 at this point last year, a nearly 34% decline. Overall shootings are down about 32%, he said. Day credited the decline not only to police efforts but also community partners, the city’s Ceasefire program, which targets those at the highest risk of gun violence, and the Office of Violence Prevention. But he noted crime trends are difficult to predict. The spate of weekend shootings began early Saturday in the 9300 block of Southeast Ramona Street. Officers responded to the area and found a man with injuries they deemed not to be life-threatening. The shootings continued early Sunday. Police said two people were shot near Northwest 9th Avenue and Couch Street in the Pearl District around 2:30 a.m. Officers found a woman with a gunshot wound in her leg and later learned a man with a gunshot wound arrived at a local hospital. Two hours later, officers found a man dead in a downtown parking lot, 322 Southwest 4th Ave., where they found a man dead. Police said evidence at the scene suggests he was shot. Later on Sunday, shortly before 10 p.m., officers responded to a fatal shooting in North Portland, near Delta Park. Police said they found a man with gunshot wounds in the parking lot of a Chevron in the 9900 block of North Whitaker Road. Officers attempted to give the man first aid until paramedics arrived, but police said he died at the scene. Police responded to the last shooting just before midnight Sunday at a Northeast Portland home. Officers found a 19-year-old wounded in a car near the property. Police officials learned the shooting took place at the property, an Airbnb rental where teenagers were having a party. Police said officers canvassed the area for video footage as the partygoers had fled the area. The bureau’s enhanced community safety team will take over the investigation. For Halloween, Airbnb had announced it was once again rolling out advanced anti-party technology to prevent high-risk bookings and enforce the company’s ban on “disruptive and unauthorized parties.” Over the holiday last year, the company said this deterred 40 people from booking a home listing in Portland. While Day didn’t delve into detail on any of the shootings, he sought to assure Portlanders he recognizes the impact they have on the city and that the bureau is committed to investigating them. “We are 100% committed to reaching justice,” Day said.
