PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A man was found dead in a southwest Portland parking lot early on Sunday morning.
At 4:23 a.m., the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) responded to the parking lot on the corner of Southwest 3rd Avenue and Harvey Milk Street, for a report of a person down. The man was dead when they arrived.
According to PPB, evidence at the scene suggested that the victim had been shot, although his official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
FOX 12 spoke to guests at the Hi-Lo Hotel, who said they heard multiple gunshots early Sunday morning.
"I heard gunshots and then I realized that when I can hear them, they're not for me so I went back to sleep," said Steven Tollefson, who was visiting from Seattle.
PPB said that by the time officers arrived, there were no suspects to be found. While police investigated, parts of Southwest Harvey Milk Street and 4th Avenue were closed. Police didn't clear the area until early Sunday afternoon.
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The alleged shooting took place in a parking lot, right next door to a pod of food carts, the hotel and other local businesses. Other people walking through the area on Sunday said they were surprised to hear of a homicide in this part of town.
"It definitely is a shock to me as far as like in this area, just because it's a little further west from Burnside than I would expect," said Summer Cook.
Cook, who lives in Portland and visits downtown with her family often, said it's unfortunate to hear of gun violence in the city. But she said this incident won't stop her from coming back.
"We've been coming downtown for about two years... and we haven't experienced any type of crime towards us," Cook said.
According to PPB, homicides are down more than 50% this year, compared to last year. And locals and visitors alike said, despite Sunday morning's incident, it hasn't changed their view of the Rose City.
"It's unfortunate," Cook said. "But it paints a bad picture of Portland that's just not there. You know, I think every city has its crime."
"This is America. Bad things happen everywhere," said Tollefson. "Portland is a beautiful city full of incredibly friendly people with semi-confusing parking rules, but I love this place, I love this city, I love everyone here."
According to PPB, no arrests have been made at this time. PPB is asking anyone with information on this case to get in touch with them right away.