Investigators arrested a man in connection with a May shooting in Southeast Portland’s Hazelwood neighborhood, the Portland Police Bureau reported Saturday.
Officers originally responded to reports of a shooting in the 12000 block of Southeast Ash Street around 3:45 p.m. Friday, May 28 and found a person shot in the arm, according to reports at the time. Police detained one person at the scene, but did not reveal whether that person was the shooter.
Nearly five months later, the bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team was sent to the 1400 block of Northeast 112th Avenue, where they arrested Joseph W. Smoot, 30, of Portland on accusations of felony assault, unlawful use of a firearm and first-degree burglary. After serving a search warrant, officers found a nine millimeter pistol in a vehicle connected to Smoot.
Portland is in the midst of a wave of gun violence characterized by sudden, sometimes indiscriminate shootings, according to a recent analysis by The Oregonian/OregonLive, including a near-record 69 homicides to date. According to investigators, forensic evidence has tied many of the shootings to retaliatory gang violence.
-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
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