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Portland police add officers this weekend after latest wave of shootings

There have been nearly 100 shootings in Portland so far this month.

PORTLAND, Oregon — As of Saturday afternoon Portland police had responded to 92 shootings so far this year.

More than two dozen people have been injured and seven people have died. That includes a man who was shot and killed early Friday morning in Old Town.

“The numbers are staggering, they are disappointing, but not entirely unexpected, because this is where we were going over the course of last year,” said Sgt. Kevin Allen of the Portland Police Bureau.

As a result of the shooting over the last few days, the PPB are putting more resources in the street this weekend. 

Some of the additional officers belong to the newly established Focused Intervention Team, while some from the Enhanced Community Safety Team. It’s the first time the two teams have combined for a weekend of patrols. 

The officers are working overtime so the added resources are not here for the long term.

“This is not something we can sustain," Allen said. "Our staffing issues are well known and that's not going to change for a while.”   

For the last four years Raymond Lusk has lived in the Cully neighborhood.  A few nights ago the gun violence came within blocks of his home. He heard gunshots and later found out they came from shots fired at a convenience store nearby.

No one was injured but police recovered this gun not far from the shooting and made an arrest in the case.

 The incident sparks a strong emotion in Lusk. “Fear ... I mean stray bullets come through houses and kill people. We've had a lot of buildings shot up in this town and it appears to be getting worse every month."

Lusk wants to see some long-term plans to deal with the gun violence and believes those plans need to come from city leaders.

Portland police say they understand people are frustrated and that they want to be part of the solution.

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