Girl is injured in Hermiston shooting
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – A 17-year-old girl had to be taken by air ambulance to a Portland hospital to have a bullet removed from her cheek following a shooting in the area of Northeast Fourth Street and East Elm Avenue in Hermiston late Saturday night. Police Chief Jason Edmiston said investigators learned she was a passenger in a car that had been occupied by two 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old girl that fled the area.
Edmiston said that both boys in the vehicle have been what he termed “very active” in numerous incidents involving police this year.
During Saturday’s shooting, at least two parked vehicles and two residences were struck by gunshots from someone in a dark-colored sedan. There have been several shots-fired incidents in Hermiston and elsewhere on the west end of Umatilla County in recent weeks and Edmiston said that victims and witnesses are not cooperating.
“We’re dealing with out-of-control youths,” he said. “We’re dealing with at least one aggressive parent that doesn’t want us to label his child..”
We asked Edmiston if he feels the incidents are gang-related.
“I’ve always been careful of labels,” he said. “Probably the easiest answer is, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”
Edmiston said his investigators are working closely with other area law enforcement and the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office as they seek to put an end to the gunplay. He’s also reached out to the community.
“I have already reached out to a couple of community groups and leaders asking for assistance,” he said. “We appreciate the assistance we received from other area agencies as this incident demanded numerous resources to collect evidence in more than one location.”
