Of the record-breaking 90 homicides reported, just over 75% happened by gunfire; at least 52 victims were 40 years old or younger, and at least nine victims were 20 years old or younger. Portland’s history with gun violence is drastic this year with nearly 70 lives lost, hundreds of people injured, and nearly 1,300 shooting incidents reported by police.
Stopping the violence has been a topic of discussion in the police bureau, city hall, and the office of Multnomah County District Attorney, Mike Schmidt for most of 2021. Schmidt about the violence this week, “It’s left a lot of the Portland community not feeling safe. This has been an incredibly challenging year for us,” Schmidt said. Schmidt said his top priority is prosecuting violent crime.
This year, his office prosecuted over 200 gun-related cases, a record in Multnomah County. He recently hired four new prosecutors and two investigators solely to focus on those cases. He wants Portlanders to know “the system is working.”
For many victims, the circumstances surrounding their deaths remain unclear — casualties of late night, indiscriminate attacks, some with no witnesses at all.
Others were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of an ongoing dispute. Police cite a lack of resources, lack of patrol officers, and overworked homicide detectives can’t keep up with the caseload. Others point to long-term underinvestment in historically marginalized communities where much of the violence is concentrated. Some describe an escalating conflict between rival gangs fueled by fear and retaliation.
