PORTLAND, Ore. — A car was hit in a Southeast Portland shooting Thursday evening. The driver was grazed by a bullet and his 6-year-old passenger had minor injuries from shattered glass, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) said.
Officers were called to the shooting scene near Southeast 82nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard around 8:20 p.m. The victim told police that someone fired at his car while he was driving.
No immediate arrests were made following the incident, police said.
Portland has continued to grapple with a surge in gun violence this year, following the deadliest year in the city's modern history in 2021.
There have been at least 23 homicides in the city less than three months into 2022, and the majority of those involved a firearm. That means Portland is on pace to surpass 2021's record-breaking 90 homicides.
Investigators have been overwhelmed with the rise in shootings piled on top of an ongoing staffing shortage within the bureau. Currently, PPB is down to a historic low of about 780 sworn officers.
In a press conference earlier this week, Chief Chuck Lovell announced that PPB is ramping up efforts to hire more officers. He said the bureau has hired eight background investigators to vet applicants more efficiently.
Background investigators are currently working through about 300 applications from people who want to work at PPB.
"This moment in time is critical for the city and the profession. We're on the cusp of a lot of change in law enforcement, and I think this is a time where someone can come in and be a part of that change on the front end," Lovell told reporters.
The police bureau also launched a new website focused on its effort to recruit more officers.
