23 people wounded in Portland shootings this past week: 'It's getting worse'

PORTLAND, Ore. — Nearly two dozen people have been wounded in shootings across Portland over the past seven days, law enforcement said.

One of the victims was a young man shot Tuesday near Mt. Scott Park.

"I ran across the street, and I got him and I said, ‘Come over here with me how old are you?’ He said he was 18," said neighbor Tracie Davis.

Witnesses say it was drive-by shooting, and from what police determined, the suspects were in a stolen car.

The Portland Police Enhanced Community Safety Team, which investigates non-deadly shootings, says it believes at least three of the 23 shootings from the past week would've been deadly if it wasn't for the officers’ trauma and first aid training.

The team said Thursday that it made three recent arrests.

One suspect was arrested in the street racing incident that ended with more than 100 rounds being fired in a North Portland parking lot.

READ MORE |Several wounded in shooting at Portland street racing event, suspect arrested

Another arrest was made in a southwest Portland shooting.

On Wednesday, police arrested a suspect in a shooting that happened back in February.

We've heard the bureau repeatedly say staffing shortage is a significant part of the problem when handling the city's gun violence crisis.

PPB is short about 150 positions, with 80 officers able to retire in July.

Lt. Nathan Sheppard said, "I feel like people begin to think we're just ‘whining’ about low staffing negatively affecting our ability to successfully do our jobs, but it's a fact, and it's getting worse."