A celebration of the Chinese New Year Thursday night ended with a fatal shooting in Southwest Portland.
Washington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting at the Frank Estate Apartments in Garden Home around 10:58 p.m. Thursday.
When deputies arrived they found a 20-year-old man had been shot in the abdomen by a 28-year-old man who is his friend.
The victim was quickly transported to Oregon Health Sciences University, but was pronounced deceased on arrival. Deputies called detectives from the Washington County Violent Crimes Unit to investigate the case.
Detectives determined that the victim, along with several other friends, was celebrating the Chinese New Year together at the 28-year-old's apartment. The owner of the apartment owns several firearms and decided to show one of them to the group. He brought out a .223 caliber AR-15 and unloaded the weapon. The gun was passed around the group of four guests. He took the gun back and was in the process of reloading it when the weapon discharged and struck the victim. 911 was immediately called and the 28-year-old friend started to render medical aid to the victim.
The victim's parents live in another country and detectives are still trying to contact his them to notify them of his death. The shooter has not been charged with any crimes and the case is still under investigation. The names of those involved are not being released at this time pending the notification of the family.
It does not appear that alcohol or drugs were a factor in this tragic case. The Sheriff's Office strongly urges people to handle guns in a safe manner and to always treat all firearms as if they are loaded at all times.