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Drive-by shooting injures one, hits two houses on Columbus Avenue Medford police say Columbus Ave. shooting gang-related Comment By Anita Burke Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Anita Burke Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 11:10 AM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 6:22 PM By Anita Burke Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 11:10 AM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 6:22 PM » Social News A drive-by shooting Medford police suspect was gang-related sent bullets flying into two west Medford homes and sent an 18-year-old woman to the hospital with minor injuries. Shots were reported at 1:37 a.m. today in the 400 block of South Columbus Avenue, Medford police said in a news release. The 18-year-old woman was standing with a group of people in a parking lot on the west side of the street when she was struck in the leg. The bullet passed through her upper leg and exited her opposite hip, Medford police Lt. Mike Budreau said. She was treated and released at a local hospital, the police news release said. "She was really lucky," Budreau said. "A couple centimeters and it would have been very different and not so lucky." Investigators don't think the young woman was the intended target. However, they are confident that the shooting wasn't random and likely targeted known gang affiliates. "Specific people standing around in that group are involved in gangs," Budreau said, noting that those people live in the home they were standing in front of when the shots were fired. At the same time, shots were fired into a residence on the east side of the street. Shell casings from two different calibers were recovered from the scene. Budreau said the gunmen involved aren't accurate or skilled, increasing the risk of innocent bystanders being caught in the crossfire. "There were rounds going everywhere," he said. Investigators declined to discuss the number of shots fired or the caliber of weapons used. Witnesses told police that the shots came from a small gray or beige sedan, similar to a Toyota Corolla, that had aftermarket headlights with a blue tint, Budreau said. The car had more than one person inside, but witnesses could describe only one, a thin Hispanic male. Although the people who were fired on in this case provided statements to police, Budreau said in many gang-related cases victims and witnesses are reticent, refusing to talk to police or lying when they do. "Sometimes we don't get much cooperation," he said. "It's an obstacle." Police must then turn to forensics, images from surveillance cameras and informants, he said. Budreau said this morning's shooting is an escalation of gang violence in that west Medford neighborhood. This summer, police have taken reports of shots fired, assaults and a pair of stabbings on June 20, one of which happened in the same block of South Columbus Avenue. "If we don't figure it out, it gets worse," he said. Medford police are working with the Medford Area Drug and Gang Enforcement Team on the case. Investigators ask that anyone with information call 541-774-2230. Reach Web Editor Anita Burke at 541-776-4485 or by email at [email protected]. By Anita Burke Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Anita Burke Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 11:10 AM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 6:22 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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