A man is in critical condition following a shooting on Friday afternoon in the Safeway parking lot in Hermiston.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston said officers responded to a report of a shooting just before 2:30 p.m. When officers arrived, they found a 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was transported to Good Shepherd Medical Center before being airlifted out of the area.
Edmiston said initial reports indicate the shooting victim got into an altercation with two males in a vehicle directly in front of the west entrance to Safeway. One of the males inside the car was 17 years old.
“At some point, a shot or shots were fired from inside the vehicle, striking the male,” said Edmiston.
HPD worked with the Oregon State Police, Pendleton Police Department, Umatilla Police Department and the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office to identify the shooting victim and the 17-year-old. Edmiston said the vehicle has been found and impounded and that the department intends to get a search warrant for additional evidence.
No names have been released yet. Edmiston said it appears that all three people involved knew each other.
