One person was killed early Monday morning following a shooting in Southeast Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. According to KOIN 6 News, Portland police responded to reports of gunfire around 1 a.m. near Southeast 122nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard. Upon arrival, officers found one person suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have not yet released the victim’s identity or any details about possible suspects. This marks yet another fatal incident in a year that has already seen Portland continue to struggle with gun violence and the social fallout that accompanies it.

For communities across the Columbia region — from Portland to Longview and Kelso — the broader picture of rising gun violence raises the same urgent questions. What happens when public safety strategies fail to address the root causes: poverty, hopelessness, and the easy availability of deadly weapons? Each act of violence ripples outward, reinforcing fear, mistrust, and alienation in the communities least able to bear it.

As federal and local debates continue about police reform and accountability — issues already heightened by cases such as the disputed Border Patrol shooting reviewed by Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez — it’s clear that meaningful safety will only come when justice, equity, and community investment are treated as inseparable parts of public life.

Police ask anyone with information about the Powellhurst-Gilbert shooting to contact Portland’s homicide detectives. The investigation remains ongoing.