Medford, Ore — The call came in at 1:37 Thursday morning, as half a dozen shots were fired from a car driving south on Columbus Avenue.
An 18 year old woman that was hit has been released from the hospital.
While it’s certainly frightening, those who live and work in the area say it’s far from surprising.
Painting over fresh graffiti, Toni McGee is well aware of the gang violence in her West Medford neighborhood.
“There’s not a day that goes by that there aren’t cops stopping people, talking to people, arresting people,” said McGee.
That’s why, when she heard of the drive-by shooting less than a block away, it hardly came as a shock.
“Y’know, it’s West Medford, there’s a lot of problems in this area,” said McGee.
Medford Police say around 6 shots were fired from a car on the 400 block of South Columbus Avenue early Thursday morning. One bullet struck an 18-year old woman in the leg. Police believe, like the graffiti, the shooting was gang related.
“We believe this is going to be a retaliation for some other events that have been going on in the gang world lately, there’s been this back and forth thing going on for a few months now,” said Lt. Mike Budreau.
As investigators comb the scene for evidence, McGee applies a fresh coat of paint to her workplace, hoping the violence stops for now.
“You should be able to walk down the street and not feel like something bad’s going to happen at any minute,” said McGee.
No arrests have been made.
Police are still looking for the suspect vehicle, which they describe as an older model beige or tan sedan, similar to a Toyota Corolla with bright after-market halogen headlights.
One of the suspects in the shooting is described as a skinny Hispanic male. If you have any information on the case please contact Medford police.
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