Eugene police investigate shooting that wounded two near Skinner Butte

Eugene police are investigating a shooting that wounded two people just after midnight near Skinner Butte, in an area many residents use to reach downtown, walk the riverfront and spend time at the park after dark. Officers were called at 12:50 a.m. June 20 to the Cheshire Avenue and Skinner Butte Loop area, near the Skinner Butte Park and RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground, and found two people with gunshot wounds.

Police have not said whether the shooting was targeted or random, and the motive remains unknown. The investigation is active, with Eugene Police Investigations and the Eugene Police Forensic Evidence Unit both sent to the scene to document evidence and help reconstruct what happened. The department’s investigations section handles in-depth cases involving person crimes and forensic evidence, while the forensic unit includes one working supervisor, four full-time civilian forensic analysts, one forensic technician and an administrative aide.

The location gives the case immediate significance beyond the block where the shots were fired. Skinner Butte Park, dedicated in 1914, spans about 100 acres along the Willamette River just north of downtown Eugene. The city describes it as a place with trails, a summit road, historical features and a major playground at 248 Cheshire Ave., making it one of the city’s most visible public spaces and a regular destination for walkers, families and people moving between neighborhoods and downtown.

City communications have also noted that the Skinner Butte summit road and parking lot have been seasonally closed to vehicles during summer fire-risk periods, and some community members have said they felt safer when cars were restricted from the summit. That context matters after an overnight shooting, when concerns about safety can shape how comfortable people feel using the park in the evening, on weekends or while traveling through the area.

The broader neighborhood adds to the public interest. Nearby, the East Skinner Butte Historic Landmark Area includes 24 buildings of architectural and historic significance dating from the 1850s through the 1920s. For Eugene residents, the shooting raises the immediate question of who was hurt and what led to the violence, but it also leaves a wider concern unresolved: whether the area remains safe for the people who rely on Skinner Butte as a recreation corridor, a riverfront access point and a familiar route through the city.