There was close to a dozen shootings in Portland last weekend. This highlights the rise in gun violence this publication has been reporting. The Portland Police Bureau reported nine shootings last weekend. The shootings resulted in nine injuries and two deaths. Eight of the shootings happened on August 28, more than over twice the daily average so far this year, according to police bureau statistics.
Two years ago 76.7% of gun deaths were from suicide and 18.5% were from homicides. While there were more shootings last weekend than usual, it was not mainly suicide. There have been 788 shootings in Portland as of July 31 this year, which is 67 more than last year and 415 more than in 2020 during the same time frame.
While there is hope on some level, the deadly trend continues, despite the city spending $11.8 million since the beginning of 2021 on various programs, initiatives and grants to reduce gun violence. In Oregon state, gun purchases hit an all time high in 2020. There were less guns bought in 202. Close to 60,000 more than in 2017, 2018 and 2019. That’s based on data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System and reported on annually by the Oregon State Police.
At the end of July of this year, there have been 231,636 background checks in Oregon, which is less than the number of background checks done last year for the same time period. Data from the Oregon Health Authority shows that the number of deaths from firearms increased as well, from 519 in 2018 to 593 in 2020, the most recent year with data.
Stephenic Hall, 54, was found dead with a gunshot wound in the Centennial neighborhood. Cameron Taylor, 20, was found Sunday evening in the Eliot neighborhood with gunshot wounds. Taylor was the 65th person to be killed in Portland this year.
Two people were shot and injured in the Hazelwood neighborhood. Another woman was shot outside a house in the Centennial neighborhood, a man was shot while dumpster diving, and two were shot in the Overlook neighborhood. Another person suspected of firing shots was in her car and wouldn’t tell police what happened. One more person held a rideshare driver at gunpoint, but did not shoot her. There is no let up in site on the violence.
