A 16-year-old male received a non-life threatening injury during a shooting Friday, Sept. 22, in the 1500 block of N.E. 10th St.
According to Hermiston police, officers responded to reports of gunshots at around 9 p.m. near County Squire Estates. A police report states that as officers arrived in the area, another call came within 10 minutes from a residence in the trailer court regarding a juvenile male with a gunshot wound.
Officers and medics responded to the trailer and found the 16-year-old victim with a non-life threatening foot injury. Reportedly, no one was forthcoming with information.
The report states another male, 19-year-old Jorge Carrillo, who lives outside of Hermiston, said he was a passenger in a blue pickup driven by the injured youth. According to police, as the two turned off East Elm and onto N.E. 10th St., they said a dark-colored vehicle opened fire on them while parked on the side of the road at the intersection.
The duo fled the scene, drove the pickup to a remote location outside of Hermiston on Tumbleweed Lane and walked to the Country Squire Estates residence, police said.
The truck was later found with the assistance of the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police. It had been spray-painted with markings consistent with gang activity, police said.
“Once again, we are seeing violent activity involving youths and what should be young adults, acting like adults,” Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said. “And once again, we are met with limited information.
“The fact of the matter is those engaged in criminal activity know our department is currently down several positions and they know the trend for years has been a decrease in accountability and consequences for reckless behavior,” he continued. “In the coming months, I will be reaching out to various city committees seeking assistance on how best to tackle this problem.”
Edmiston said Hermiston police can only do “with what is in front of us. Without cooperation, we are limited with being able to solve criminal acts such as this.”
He added that social media commenters have unfairly criticized law enforcement regarding recent shootings despite limited cooperation from those involved.
“Unfortunately it is easy for people to point at the police and expect miracles to happen when evidence is limited,” Edmiston said.
He added that some on social media have called for stricter enforcement. However, when that occurs, accusations follow.
“Furthermore, it is very easy for some people to tarnish law enforcement with baseless accusations of bigotry when enforcement is taken against a person engaged in these activities,” he said.
