Portland police officials are pleading with the public to help "break the cycle of violence" in the Oregon city, where shootings and murders have skyrocketed, according to authorities and a local report.
At least 850 shootings have been reported in Portland as of Dec. 24, with 59 reported so far this month, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) statistics show. There were 33 shootings reported in December of last year.
As of Christmas Eve, this year’s shootings had surpassed last year’s by more than 116%, with 393 shootings reported in all of 2019, statistics show.