Possible gang-related shooting at Madison High worries police [Brazen shooting at Madison High worries police]

by Aimee Green, The Oregonian Tuesday September 02, 2008, 8:31 PM Portland police say having 15 officers outside a high school football game wasn't enough to keep someone from pulling a gun and firing five or six bullets in a crowd of more than 100 teenagers Friday evening -- a brazen act that gang experts find especially troubling. "A lot of the time just the presence of police can change behavior in a positive way," said Sgt. Anthony Passadore of the bureau's Hotspot Enforcement Action Team. "But with some people, it doesn't matter. ... And that's very scary." Police said that miraculously, no one was hit by the bullets fired next to Madison High School. A football game between Jefferson and Grant high schools had just let out, and hundreds of people had spilled onto the sidewalks and streets. A crowd of about 100 to 150 youths lingered in Glenhaven Park next to Madison High. Police -- who were across Northeast 82nd Avenue -- were interviewing a group of teens found moments earlier with a gun on school property. The police also were watching what was happening across the street. Police said some teenagers in the crowd flashed gang signs, waved colored bandannas in the air and yelled at the 10 to 15 police officers standing across the street. Passadore said police were cautious and didn't want to send a dozen officers into the crowd, which might have made things worse because such numbers could have sparked a confrontation. Two officers went over in an attempt to defuse the tension. Instead, someone fired off the shots and the crowd scattered. "It was like a wave of people running, just as fast as they could to the south, some in other directions," Passadore said. He said the officers ducked and didn't see who fired the shots. Police couldn't find anyone who was hit. The shooting happened sometime around 7:15 p.m., shortly before another game was supposed to start between Wilson and Madison high schools. Shortly before the shooting, officers had gathered on Northeast 82nd Avenue because a 14-year-old had been found with a loaded gun in his waistband on school property. The teenager had been spotted along with some other youths in the shrubbery near the Madison High playing field. Police said it appeared the youths were either trying to hide or retrieve something that had been placed in the bushes. They arrested the 14-year-old and some of the others ran. None of the teens detained and interviewed Friday night went to Portland Public Schools, said schools spokesman Matt Shelby. Some of them had dropped out of school or recently attended Reynolds High School or alternative schools including Open Meadow, Helensview and the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center. Shelby said the school district plans to work with police to ensure that all of the teens detained are banned from school property. He said the incidents illustrate the importance of having police at school sporting events. "It just goes to show they really are needed," Shelby said.

Shelby said he doesn't know of any specific action that will be taken by school officials, such as letters sent home to parents. He said that the shooting came at an inopportune time -- school starts today and administrators and teachers are busy readying for the school year. But Shelby said he's sure administrators and teachers will meet to discuss the incidents and possibly map out a plan. Passadore also plans to discuss the incidents with Assistant Chief Lynnae Berg and other Portland Police Bureau administrators at the weekly meeting of the Hotspot Enforcement Action Team. Police Chief Rosie Sizer organized the team in mid-June to address a spike in gang violence this year. "You can't solve this from a police perspective alone," Passadore said, saying any plan needs school and community participation to work. One idea he's heard floated in the past is having parent patrols to help disperse students and quell trouble before it gets out of hand. -- Aimee Green; aimeegreen@news.oregonian.com