WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — At least one person was taken to the hospital and three people are in custody after a gun battle Monday morning in Aloha, an unincorporated community in Washington County.
Around 6:02 a.m., deputies with the Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an assault with a weapon near the intersection of Southwest 185th Avenue and Southwest Selvarosa Court. A 911 caller reported hearing multiple gunshots, the sheriff's office said.
"My husband and I heard about five or six gunshots," said Angie Hart, who lives nearby. "I thought it was gunshots. He thought it was something else... He went and got coffee and came back and said, no, those were gunshots you were right."
In new details released Monday afternoon, the sheriff's office said they believe at least four people were involved in a confrontation in the parking lot of Eden Presbyterian Church that led to the shooting. Two of them were 21-year-old Matteo Greene of Portland and an unidentified 17-year-old, also from Portland.
According to the sheriff's office, interviews and surveillance video indicated that Greene and the 17-year-old attacked the two others before several of the people involved started shooting. One victim was shot in the stomach before being taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
During the exchange of gunfire, Greene was shot in the leg. Investigators arrested him after he was treated at a local hospital. He's since been booked into the Washington County Jail on charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and a probation violation.
The teenage suspect was arrested and taken into custody by the Washington County Juvenile Department. They were booked on second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault charges.
On Tuesday, the Washington County Sheriff's Office announced that investigators had made a third arrest in the case. Kaylee Vanderpool, a 21-year-old from Portland, was booked on charges of hindering prosecution and tampering with physical evidence.
At least five nearby homes were struck by gunfire during the shootout, with bullets flying into living rooms and bedrooms, investigators found. While families with children were present in some of the homes, none of them were injured.
Hart said she didn't know her house was caught in the crossfire, until her 9-year-old granddaughter mentioned it, as they watched investigators working nearby.
"I explained that they’re probably taking pictures of the bullet holes and that kind of thing and she’s like, well, I wonder if that’s why I have a hole in my bedroom," Hart recalled, "I went in and sure enough there’s a bullet hole in the sidewall of her room that hit the ceiling and the bullet was found just in front of the closet.
"My anxiety went to a ten. She was oblivious and not really understanding what was going on. It was a heck of a Labor Day."
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, WCSO said, and more charges or arrests could follow. Anyone who witnessed the shooting or has security camera video of it is asked to contact investigators at 503-629-0111.