A 19-year-old man was rushed to the hospital early Saturday after being shot in the hip during a “chaotic” gang-related fight outside a downtown Vancouver dance hall, police said.
The melee, which involved about 30 people, started inside the Vancouver Ballroom, 808 Main St., during a DJ hip hop dance event. It spilled into the street when an unknown suspect fired multiple shots, injuring the 19-year-old, said Vancouver police Officer Dave Chamblee.
The victim, not identified by police, was taken to Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. Chamblee did not know the severity of the man’s injuries, but said there was no indication they were life-threatening.
About 1:15 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to the scene after a report of shots fired and began looking for the gunman and several vehicles that witnesses said sped away.
The first officer on scene found a crowd of about a dozen people and one person with a gunshot wound.
A handgun was recovered on the street, but Chamblee said police weren’t sure it was the gun used in the shooting.
Officers radioed descriptions of three vehicles that may have been involved in the shooting, a black SUV, a silver Jeep and a Chrysler, possibly white. In minutes, officers said they were pulling over a Jeep on Interstate 5 northbound near state Highway 500.
Vancouver police, assisted by troopers with the Washington State Patrol, looked for the other two cars. Officers ordered I-5 northbound in the area closed, and reopened it minutes later.
Late Saturday, officers still had yet to identify or arrest the suspect in the shooting, Chamblee said. He called the investigation extensive.
“There’s quite a few witnesses and people to talk to,” Chamblee said, citing the fact that at least 100 people attended the dance.
By midmorning, there was no sign there had been a shooting, and the Vancouver Ballroom was being used for a holiday bazaar.
Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.
