News at 11. Thanks for joining us.
I'm David Molko and we begin tonight with new
details in the search for a suspected
shooter still on the run after
he allegedly sprayed a Southeast
Portland apartment with gunfire.
Almost cardies in The
Newsroom tonight and Alma,
we should mention both the little
girl and her uncle will be OK
yeah? David, one of the shooting victims,
agreed to speak with us if we didn't
show his face or share his name.
He told me what started as a knock on
his apartment door quickly took a turn.
As he and his niece attempted to dodge,
nearly two dozen bullets shot through
the door and through the walls.
This is the man Portland police
say opened fire Tuesday night at
an E Burnside apartment complex.
36 year old Rashad Calbert accused
of indiscriminately firing shots that
hit an 11 year old girl and her uncle.
He said you're gonna open the
door and I said no. And then
they just started opening fire.
The victim, who KGW agreed not to
identify out of his concerns for
his and other safety, was shot in
the hand. I got hit, I turned on Iran
in here and I was on the phone with my.
The father, actually,
I dropped the phone and ran in here
because my niece was sitting right
here and she had no idea was going on.
She was freaking out because she'd been hit.
And like, she's like, it burns.
She's like, call the cops.
And I was trying to call the
cops and I couldn't, like,
function and use my hand.
So she ended up having to call the police.
Both uncle and niece went to the hospital,
and while they're both
now recovering at home,
the shock and the pain linger.
There's a special place in
hell for people like him,
and it appears calbert may have
been targeting the man's sister,
court records show.
The suspect was arrested on domestic
violence charges back in November,
accused of hitting the woman,
the 11 year old's mother,
with a baseball bat.
Charges were dismissed in December,
the family speaking out in the hopes
it helps police catch Calvert.
You're going to shoot up children,
you're definitely a dangerous man and you
have no business being on the streets.
If anyone has information about
the suspects whereabouts or
more details about the shooting,
you're encouraged to call police.
We've got more information plus the
case number up on kgw.com. David,
such a disturbing story.
Alma McCarty reporting tonight.
Thank you alma. Let's get you caught
up on tonight's other headlines.
Now including a man sentenced to
more than 25 years in prison for
a deadly crash in downtown Salem,
25 year old Enrique Rodriguez junior pleaded
guilty to two counts of manslaughter.
Plus other charges.
After he drove drunk and crashed into a
homeless camp last March, 4 people died.
Two others were hospitalized.
Prosecutors say at the time,
Rodriguez's blood alcohol level was
nearly three times the legal limit.
Two people are displaced.
Another is in the hospital after a home
in Southeast Portland caught fire.
When fire crews responded this
morning with the property next
to Powell Butte Nature Park,
they say the flames were coming
out of the basement,
officials say everybody inside the two-story.
Tim was able to get out.
No word yet on the cause and a two mile
stretch of Northwest Germantown Rd.
Has now reopened.
Pbot was doing some preventative work over
the last couple of days between Skyline Blvd.
And Northwest Bridge Ave.
crews were clearing rock,
soil and other debris
following recent heavy rains.
Well, now the allegations
of systemic animal neglect.
At Multnomah County Animal Services Division,
former employees say the shelter has
four years failed to meet care standards
for the dogs and cats in its care.
And when they've tried to bring it up,
some workers say they have faced retaliation.
Catherine Cook is here.
Catherine,
you just brought us a story on how
too many animals and not enough staff
forced the shelter to essentially
push pause on taking in more
straits for the first time ever.
And tonight you've talked to
two former employees with some.
Serious allegations?
Yeah, David, they're frustrated.
They say employees and
volunteers deserve better,
but their biggest concern is the animals.
They're heartbroken by what they've seen.
Animal Services has new management
now and is promising change.
Those we talked with are
hopeful but still have doubts.
This is Myrtle.
You can. You might be
able to hear her snorting.
Kayla Popper loves her dog,
Myrtle, and all animals.
It's why she took a job as an
animal care technician with
Multnomah County Animal Services.
But her love for animals is also
why she left that job in November.
After just one year,
I don't think I want a
single day without crying.
The longer dogs stayed,
the more you could see you,
the more you could see them
deteriorate, the more you could,
you know, feel them.
Getting frustrated,
getting depressed.
You know, kind of going crazy,
Kayla says. She and other employees
raised their concerns with management,
pointing to a shortage of staff and
lack of support from supervisors,
all while dealing with overcrowding. There
were so many of them and so few
of us and so little, you know,
support. Just a lot of neglect.
Amy Previc is also a former care tech
with Maloma County Animal Services.
I just did not. Feel comfortable
being a part of the what I saw
as inhumane Treatment of Animals.
She quit last January after 4 1/2 years.
Both she and Kayla say there was a
culture of retaliation toward employees
the more I. Questioned it the. More,
I seem to be out of favor with management.
The shelter has a history of falling
below national standards for basic care,
like keeping kennels clean,
the animals fed and access to
exercise and mental stimulation.
Those findings were noted in two
county audits from 2016 and 2018.
Kayla has read them both
not a lot different and in
in some ways worse now.
Employees say the problems worsened
when the shelter stopped in person
adoptions during the pandemic.
Only on Wednesday,
nearly three years later,
did they reopen to the public.
After closing down for
a full week to prepare,
this day has been a bit of a blur.
Aaron Grahek is the new director of Multnomah
County Animal Services as of September.
When asked about the complaints,
she acknowledged the public's
frustration with how things at the
shelter have been run in the past,
promising change.
I would,
I guess, like to ask the readers
and the viewers to take
a leap of faith with
me, and in some ways, they have
no reason to do that. Given,
you know the things that were shared
in the audit report, also Wednesday,
new Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega
Peterson called for a review of current
practices at Animal Services to quote,
ensure we get to the root of the
problems that have troubled our shelter
operations and also ensure we don't
find ourselves in this situation again.
Also, Catherine, are there any specific
promises from the shelter or the county
on what changes they plan to make here?
Well, David, Animal Services
didn't really offer any specifics,
but they did say they're looking for
ways they can do things differently,
and they say they're going to pull
themselves accountable and they're
asking the community to do the same.
Also, the county chair said their process
will include input from community members,
and they plan to share more information
on that in the coming weeks.
Thanks, Catherine.
Appreciate your reporting tonight.
Let's get to a feeling of.
Hope, but also measured skepticism.
In response, the Governor,
Tina Kotex, first moves in office,
most notably those 3 executive orders
around housing and the homeless crisis.
And while their actions that
have been widely welcomed,
as Lara Best explains,
many people say they will not celebrate
until words turn into results.
The humanitarian crisis on our streets is
front and center at the state Capitol. This
week's executive order #2302 declares a
state of emergency due to homelessness.
On her first full day in office Tuesday,
Governor Tina Kotek signed 3 executive
orders targeting the state's
homelessness and housing crisis,
including declaring a
homelessness state of emergency.
It's a blue sky day
and our governor prioritized housing
and homelessness. On her first day,
I'm I'm feeling really optimistic.
The state of emergency applies to
parts of the state like Portland,
where Kaya sand runs St.
Roots, a nonprofit working
directly with homeless people.
These are areas across the
state that really need this.
I would say the part that I
think that we all need to stay
vigilant on is that housing and
homelessness have to be connected.
The emergency order affects areas
of Oregon where the homeless
population has increased by 50%.
And more.
From 2017 to 2022,
there are five major areas affected,
including the Portland Metro
and the Willamette Valley.
Governor Cotek also set a statewide goal of
building 36,000 new housing units per year.
Sand believes in order for this to work,
the housing needs to be affordable for those
who make 30% or below the median income,
like Velma Carter,
who lives off of about $20 a day.
If she's going to build more housing,
how am I going to afford it?
I'm tired of being cold.
Carter has been homeless on
and off for about five years.
She currently lives in an RV with her cat.
How is she actually going to
get me into affordable housing?
She can't find available shelter
and has applied for 43 jobs
this month with no response.
I've been lost in the system.
In an effort to find people like Carter,
Governor Cotek announced 1/3 executive
order directed at state agencies to
prioritize reducing sheltered and
unsheltered homelessness across Oregon.
People are currently becoming
homeless faster than we have
been able to rehouse people
who are living outside.
I think that's a very,
very courageous of her.
And I think, I think we need more
attention on this issue because
there's plenty of us out here it is.
Extremely reassuring,
and I think every portlander
should be grateful that we
have a governor that's thinking
about Portland and thinking.
Andrew Hone at Portland Business
Alliance argues the response to
homelessness in the Rose City sets an
example for the rest of the state.
We are the flagship city.
We are the beating heart of its economy.
It is absolutely essential that
we remedy the situation here
because that will translate into
obvious systems to be able to fix
the issues in other locations.
He's cautiously optimistic for
what will come of all this,
and I think all of us.
We're a little bit skeptical about
will this translate into action?
This is this is not
a skepticism echoed by those living
on the streets. You know, words are
empty. It's all about the actions,
so we'll see what happens.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's
office says the governor's
executive orders are promising.
The mayor says he now wants to
learn more details as to how
this state of emergency will
affect Portland as they begin
to ask for more homeless resources during
this legislative session.
Blair best. KGW news.