PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The man fatally shot in the Lloyd District over the weekend is one of 17 people who have been killed in Portland since city officials announced their efforts to improve safety this summer.
Still, local business owners have said the frequent shootings have them closing shop early and afraid to clock in.
“Scary,” J Cafe owner Frederico told KOIN 6. “I received a phone call early in the morning that somebody was shooting right outside.”
His cafe is located on Northeast Holladay Street and Sixth Avenue—the same corner where a man was found lying dead on the sidewalk following a shooting around 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Just before 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the Portland Police Bureau identified him as 45-year-old Jacob Forrest. The medical examiner determined that he died of homicide by gunshot wounds.
It's the latest in a string of gun violence that has rocked the city this summer.
In May, Mayor Ted Wheeler and PPB Chief Bob Day announced $800,000 in "Safer Portland" grants to invest in prevention programs, and with other strategies like Portland Ceasefire, to combat the seasonal trend in violence
But Frederico said he's seen little change.
"Me and employees are scared to really come to work sometimes, knowing what's going to happen, seeing random people walking and pulling guns to others. So, it's kind of scary at the moment,” Frederico said.
"I’m not sure if [Safer Portland] has been helping, really. I mean, I don’t have the numbers, but I’m sure they can do better and I'm hoping the city gets better and people feel more free to walk in the city," the business owner added.
According to PPB, shootings and homicides have continued to drop throughout Portland. Data show there were 783 shootings as of July 29, 2022, and 637 shootings as of July 29, 2023. So far this year, there have been 504 shootings.
Additionally, there have been 44 homicides as of Monday. There were 51 homicides reported at this point of 2022 and 2023.
