PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
A man went from victim to suspect in what police think was a gang shooting in Northeast Portland Friday night.
Police charged 28-year-old Stewart Staples with felon in possession or a firearm and first-degree theft after officers found a stolen assault rifle in his apartment.
Portland police searched the apartment after a neighbor reported hearing gunshots near the building on the 1700 block of Lombard Street. There were several bullet holes in the front window of Stewart's apartment when police got to the scene around 8:45 p.m. Friday.
Several people live in the building but no one was hit by the gunshots, according to police reports.
In the apartment, police found the stolen assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition.
Neighbors in the Piedmont neighborhood told KPTV they are careful to keep an eye on their children and even monitor what colors they wear because of gang activity in the area.
But even with those precautions, residents like Brenda Casey worry that her family may still be in danger.
"You can be sitting in your living room and somebody's shooting at somebody else and it goes through your house," Casey said. "The other thing for me is the kinds of weapons that they're able to get a hold of these days. It's just like there's nothing they can't get."
Police said they knew the rifle was stolen because the person who actually owns it reported the serial number of the gun to law enforcement.
The gang enforcement team is investigating the shooting.
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