One dead and five injured in shooting at Portland police violence protest

One woman is dead and five people are injured after a shooting on Saturday night at a racial justice protest in Portland, Oregon.

Shots rang out around 8pm on Saturday in Northeast Portland’s Normandale Park, where demonstrators had gathered for a protest about the killing of Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man shot in Minneapolis in early February during a no-knock police raid, as well as other victims of police violence.

Police said the woman, whose name has not been released to the public, was dead when they arrived, while two men and three women were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The Independent has reached out to the Portland Police Bureau for further information.

Two people are reportedly in custody in relation to the shooting, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, though police have not yet publicly identified any suspects or commented on any arrests.

Demonstrators on the scene told the station they had seen someone come out of a nearby home and engage with a group of about 50 protesters before shooting into the crowd.

“I was sitting in the room talking to my wife, and all of a sudden you hear repeated gunshots,” Jeff Pry, who lives in the area, told The New York Times.

The event, according to promotional materials ahead of time, was also meant to honour Patrick Kimmons, a 27-year-old Black man fatally shot by Portland police officers while they responded to an altercation between two other men.

Ahead of the demonstration, right-wing groups discussed a possible counter protest and plans to “counter-punch” against the demonstration, although it’s unclear if such an even ever materialised.

Police are asking members of the public with relevant information to contact Detective Scott Broughton at Scott.Broughton@portlandoregon.gov (503) 823-3774 or Detective Rico Beniga at Rico.Beniga@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0457. The case number is 22-47502.

A GoFundMe page set up for victims of the shooting has already raised more than $12,000.

Portland has been the home of particularly tense scenes since the 2020 racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. In addition to large-scale peaceful demonstrations, there have been clashes between anti-fascist and right-wing groups, as well as federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security sent into the city, who at times were apprehending protesters in unmarked vans.

The shooting continues a recent streak of violence in the city, which had a record 92 homicides in 2021.