At the end of 2022 Jefferson High School students were struck by stray bullets. The Jefferson High School students were shot after school in mid-October and another student was shot in the shoulder following a drive-by shooting in November. In response to these shootings, reflective delineator posts were installed near Jefferson High School.
Traffic delineator posts have a narrow profile to separate lanes of traffic or separate vehicle and pedestrian areas. A brightly colored body and reflective bands make them visible in low-light conditions. Some think they will help prevent opportunities for future drive-by shootings.
The city said the installations are temporary and they plan to study how they work. If they’re no longer needed, they will remove them. The posts have been installed at several points along North Commercial Avenue between North Killingsworth Street and North Alberta Street.
Police said at about 3:30 p.m. in November of last year two 17-year-olds had just driven away from the school when another car drove by and someone inside fired several bullets at them near North Killingsworth Street and North Haight Avenue, which is about two blocks from the high school’s track. One of the 17-year-olds was struck by gunfire. The wounded student showed up at a hospital, police said. Officers were called to the hospital about an hour after the shooting.
In October, a white Hyundai was found on Northeast Alberta Street between Northeast Vancouver and Williams Avenue crashed just after 4 p.m. near Jefferson High school by Portland’s Enhanced Community Safety Team. The vehicle was later determined to be stolen. The back story to the crashed vehicle involved two students who suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting near the gymnasium after school was out for the day. Police confirmed one student was shot in the leg and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
In a statement, the police bureau said the shooting happened outside the school and that the injured student fled into the building. Police received reports that two teens wearing face masks and driving in a white Hyundai Elantra fled the scene of the shooting.
