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Portland police search for shooter after 4 wounded near high school

Posted at 5:05 PM, Dec 12, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-12 19:22:06-05

Portland School Shooting

[Breaking news update, posted at 6:44 p.m. ET]

Four people were wounded in a shooting near a high school in Portland, Oregon, police said Friday. A 16-year-old girl is in critical condition, a 17-year-old boy in serious condition and a 20-year-old man is in serious condition. Additionally, a 19-year-old woman suffered a grazing wound in the shooting.

[Previous story, posted at 6:13 p.m. ET]

A manhunt was under way Friday after three young people were shot near a high school in Portland, Oregon, police said.

Two males and a female were wounded not far from the Rosemary Anderson High School campus, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson told CNN.

The victims, described by police as being school-age, ran inside a school building after being shot, reported CNN affiliate KOIN, and the shooter fled. Simpson said he didn’t know if the victims were students at the school.

The victims were breathing, conscious and talking as they were transported to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Simpson said. Their condition was not immediately available.

Simpson said the shooter may be affiliated with a gang but it’s not known if the shooting was gang-related or “a personal beef.” The suspect might have been accompanied by other people, Simpsons aid.

He said the police department’s gang task force was investigating. Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also arrived to assist in the investigation.

The shooting happened about a quarter past noon (3:15 p.m. ET) while classes were being held at the alternative school in north Portland.

The school system website says Rosemary Anderson High enrolls about 200 at-risk students who “have either been expelled or dropped out of public high school and many are homeless.”

The campus was locked down for a while but classes later resumed, Simpson said.

Nearby Jefferson High School and Portland Community College were put on lockdown as police sought the shooter, authorities said.

A man who said he’s the pastor of one of the shooting victims told KOIN that the shooting was “heartbreaking.”

“The young man I know attends our church frequently who is, according to my understanding, not involved in any criminal activity, he is a bright young man,” said Jason Nelson of Cornerstone Community Church of God in Christ. “You hear about shootings every day and when it comes close to your school it’s heartbreaking.”

Another school shooting occurred about six months ago in the Portland area. One person was killed June 10 at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, about 12 miles east of Portland. One person was killed.