6 days ago
2 shot during ‘crowd disturbance' outside Old Town bar
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two people were shot in the early hours of Sunday when a large crowd caused a disturbance after a bar closed in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland.
About 100 people gathered outside the bar near NW 4th and Couch around 2:20 a.m., police said. Officers were already monitoring the situation when gunshots rang out.
They quickly found a wounded man and woman and tried to make a 'safe working space' for officers and paramedics. But about '50 people surrounded them and tried to push past the officers,' forcing responders to 'split their attention due to the unruly crowd that significantly outnumbered the officers.'
Every available officer was called as backup to the scene. Even before they arrived, the critically wounded man was rushed by ambulance to Legacy Emanuel. The wounded woman, who is expected to recover, was also taken to the hospital for treatment. Their names have not been released.
'It happens a lot'
'I wasn't really shocked,' said Amber Munoz, a hairstylist at the . 'But I was saddened, obviously.'
Natasha Popenuk, who lives nearby, said 'there's a shooting all the time here and you rarely even hear about them anymore.'
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She said she takes various precautions. 'I absolutely never walk alone. I always have a gentleman walk me, even if I'm just walking from my apartment.'
Munoz also agrees it happens frequently. 'It's just kind of like, yeah, that happened. And people just kind of move on afterwards because it happens a lot.'
And she also takes precautions in the area. 'Get dropped off and picked up for work a lot because I just don't want to park and walk through the neighborhood.'
Another nearby resident, Ryan Wooten, said people would rather not bring their kids around the area. 'I don't blame them,' he said, adding businesses don't want to pay for somewhere 'that's not safe.'
Hospital on lockdown
About 20-30 people from the crowd went to Legacy Emanuel and tried 'to access the Emergency Room and (were) hostile toward hospital security officers,' police said in a release. That crowd prompted the hospital to go into a Code Silver lockdown.
KOIN 6 News reached out to Legacy Emanuel officials for comment but have not heard back at this time.
No one was immediately arrested either outside the bar or at the hospital, authorities said.
However, the investigation into the entire incident is active and ongoing. Officials believe many people, who may have photos or video of the shooting or its aftermath, left the scene without talking to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact PPB. offers up to $2500 for information leading to the arrest in any unsolved felony.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.
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