Around half past one this morning I came upon a crime scene at the south end of downtown, just outside of Portland State University.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked a guy standing away from the tape talking to a little Mexican cop.
“Yeah.” He smiled sardonically. “Don’t you love Portland?”
The police tape howled in a low sinister drone, holding up somehow in the gale-like wind that had set in late Sunday night. The body was under what looked like a yellow tarp.
A big, impressive looking cop with a shaved head was brought over to the tape to hear a woman’s story of what she saw. His manner was casual. I asked a young man standing nearby if he saw what happened.
“Yeah.” He said. “I heard shots from my window and I came over to look and,” with the slightest nervous tremor in his voice “a guy was standing over the guy on the ground, and he shot him, bam, bam, bam, and took off.”
“Jesus.”
“Then he, or somebody, came back and he was checking him, like you know, to see if he was okay maybe?” he held his wrist; he was trying to say “check his pulse”, but couldn’t come up with the words at the moment. “Or he was just, I don’t know, going through his pockets.”
I took a snippet of video before a relatively cheerful female cop told me to shut it down.
Checking the news this morning I learn the victim is female.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman was found dead after a shooting in downtown Portland early Monday morning, officials said.
According to Portland police, officers responded to a report of a shooting around 1 p.m. at SW College Street and SW 6th Avenue. Officers reportedly found the woman deceased…
Portland State University released a statement about the shooting later in the day, saying the school community is “saddened to learn that the epidemic of deadly gun violence that has plagued so many cities has hit close to home.”
“PSU prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students and employees and our Campus Public Safety Officers are in contact with the Portland Police Bureau which is leading the investigation,” the statement read. “We don’t have further information about the incident at this time and there is no ongoing threat to our campus.”
Update: a 20 year-old suspect has been arrested.
Update II: The victim has been identified as a 19 year-old woman.
untethered 