Police have confirmed that a traffic stop has led to the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect at 1:30 am Saturday. A handgun is said to have been found in the vehicle, AP noted. Police were also reported to have been searching an apartment about five blocks east of the shooting, which took place outside Rosemary Anderson High School on Friday.
Police have said that they will release the suspect’s name and the charges leveled against him after he is booked at the Multnomah County Jail.
Three people were seriously wounded and taken to hospital in a shooting outside the high school during lunch hour on Friday. A 16-year-old girl is currently listed in critical condition after having been shot in the chest, while two teenage boys are presently listed in fair condition, having been downgraded from serious condition Friday night. A fourth victim was treated at the scene after having been grazed in the foot by a bullet, the Oregonian had earlier explained.
Witnesses to the shooting have been reported to have said that a dispute of some sort broke out outside the school just before the shooting took place. Sergeant Pete Simpson told AP reporters Friday night that “there was some kind of dispute between the shooter and some people,” adding that “we don’t know if it was [with] all the victims or one of the victims.” Simpson added that “based on the investigation thus far, the shooting appears to be gang-related,” adding that investigators “feel comfortable saying this is a gang-related shooting based on some of the people involved.”
The Rosemary Anderson High School is a community-based alternative school which enrolls up to 190 at-risk students annually, who have either been expelled or dropped out of other public high schools, according to the school’s website. Many of the students lead difficult lives; some of them are homeless. The school gives them a "last chance" opportunity to complete their education.
