“This is not fireworks,” Gregory MacCrone said he remembered thinking around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, when he heard gunshots outside his Atlantic Avenue house in North Portland.

At least five by his count, in rapid succession.

The 60-year-old said he rushed out of bed and looked outside in time to see three people wearing hoodies running south toward North Buffalo Street. Behind them, a man lay dead or dying on the sidewalk.

Other neighbors — many of whom MacCrone knew by name — were already stepping outside after hearing the commotion. Seeing that his next-door neighbor was already calling the police, MacCrone rushed across the street to check if the man was still alive.

The man was wearing a mask or a bandana over his face and appeared to be in his 40s, MacCrone said. He said he’d never seen a dead stranger before, but that didn’t stop him from checking the victim’s pulse and breathing. The man’s heart and chest were still, he said.

Portland police and emergency responders arrived minutes later and declared the victim dead at the scene, police said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

The man, whom police have not publicly identified, is the 33rd person to die by homicide in Portland so far this year. That’s fewer than last year at this time, when Portland had recorded 43 homicides.

Police said they have not made any arrests in Wednesday’s case so far.

Karen Dutton, who saw the body when she looked outside after being woken up by gunfire, said that the shooting came as a shock — and said she has always felt safe in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood in the 11 years she and her family have lived there.

“It’s just so bizarre, you know, because I was awake at five and it was totally silent,” she said, adding that she went back to bed before the shooting happened. “I feel completely safe here. You know, I’ve raised two children here.”

Arbor Lodge last saw a homicide in January 2023.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the case contact Detective Tony Harris at tony.harris@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0441 or Detective Jeff Sharp at jeff.sharp@police.portlandoregon.gov 503-823-9773 and reference case number 24-157877.

— Tanner Todd covers crime and public safety. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com, or 503-221-4313.