‘Warzone level’: North Portland shooting near preschool leaves parents, teachers wanting action

PORTLAND, Ore. KOIN) — A shooting at Dawson Park in North Portland left two people injured Friday afternoon. It happened right near a preschool and families say they just want to have their kids be safe and be able to use the park.

“I was in the process of loading my three-year-old into the car, trying to get him into his car seat, and heard very rapid fire gunshots,” recalled parent Lisa Vickery. “Nothing I’ve ever experienced before. And there was a brief pause, then it just kept going.”

At preschool pickup time, at least 70 shots were fired.

“Normally we’ll hear one or two, or it might be like, ‘Hey, maybe that sounded like a gun’ or ‘maybe that was a firework’ or ‘maybe it was a delivery truck.’ This was like warzone level,” said Preschool owner Dannielle Herman. “Volume and amount of bullets and speeding cars during a time where our youngest children – our three-year-olds – were getting picked up.”

Police say someone drove up and fired in the direction of Dawson Park, injuring two people in the process.

Dawson Park has been a hotspot for shootings. In the past year, there have been eight shootings less than a block away from the park, accordin g to PPB.

The preschool director told KOIN 6 News they have to take extreme measures, including the use of gates and lockdown procedures. Further, she doesn’t let the little ones go outside when it gets really hot out, saying that’s when the shooting often starts.

“My frustration really is about what the city is doing to ensure the safety of the overall community,” Vickery added. “The school’s controlling their own controllables. But ultimately it’s going to be up to the city to really get things done and make the park safe.”

“It’s unfair that parents have to make choices and gamble. You know, we take a risk every day coming to school and so do teachers,” stressed parent Abigail Smock. “So I really hope that the city can continue to make sure that this is a top priority.”

Parents and preschool administration say they are planning to have a meeting with Mayor Ted Wheeler on Monday.

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