1 dead, 5 hurt in shooting at protest in Portland park

A fatal shooting on Saturday during a protest against police in Portland, Ore., left one woman dead and five others injured. 

During a demonstration protesting the shooting death of Amir Locke, a reported confrontation between “armed protesters and an armed homeowner” occurred, according to the Portland Police Bureau’s news release. The preliminary investigation will look into the disagreement.

Gunfire then erupted in Normandale Park in Northeast Portland, leaving one woman dead and five others, three women and two men, injured. The wounded were taken to local hospitals. Their condition is currently unknown.

“The scene was extremely chaotic, and a number of witnesses were uncooperative with responding officers,” the news release said. “Most people on scene left without talking to police.” 

Police noted that they believe many people witnessed or recorded the incident and ask witnesses to come forward with information. 

“This is a very complicated incident, and investigators are trying to put this puzzle together without having all the pieces,” the police bureau said. 

One victim, Dajah Beck, told The New York Times that she was shot twice, once through her side, once in her knee. Beck, who turns 39 Monday, was part of the motorcade group setting up a safety plan to reroute traffic. She noted that she was not part of the protest and that everyone involved in the motorcade was unarmed. 

While Beck and her group continued to work, a man approached a small group of women, according to the Times, and yelled that they were “violent terrorists” and reportedly used vulgar language. He reportedly said that they were responsible for the violence in the city. Beck said she remembered him saying, “If I see you come past my house, I’ll shoot you.”

While others tried to calm the man down, Beck said she looked toward one of her friends when he started shooting. After being shot, she fell to the ground and hid behind a truck tire. She told the Times, “the first thing that I saw was my two friends on the ground covered in blood,” adding that one was the woman who died.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) condemned the shooting and asked the community to cooperate with the investigation. 

“While many of the details of last night’s shooting near Normandale Park are unclear, we do know one thing for sure: Our community is dealing with the sadness of another senseless act of gun violence,” he tweeted Sunday.