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Curtis Brown, 35, points to the glass living room mirror that was struck by bullets Thursday night in his mother's home on North Mississippi Avenue.

(Maxine Bernstein/The Oregonian)

About 10 people were inside the North Mississippi home, some watching TV when two unidentified men sprayed the house with 30 bullets Thursday night, sending residents of the house diving to the floor and neighbors ducking for cover.

Beaverton resident Curtis Brown, 35, whose extended family lives in the house, came by Friday to inspect the damage.

"Cowards. They're cowards,'' Brown called the suspects who tried to harm his relatives.

Two of the living room windows were riddled with bullet holes. Two large bullet holes shattered the glass of a mirror hanging on a living room wall.

The family's large television set in front of one of the windows took three bullets, and may have saved the lives of the adults and children, several under the age of 5, who were watching TV when the shooting erupted about 8:30 p.m.

Portland police said they suspect the gunmen were trying to target a member of the Unthank Park gang who is affiliated with the home. Neighbors reported seeing two men running away after the gunfire rang out. No arrests have been made.

Gang Enforcement Team Sgt. Don Livingston said he and other officers were stunned no one was hit. Thirty shots fired is alarming, Livingston said, and among the highest number from a single incident this year.

"Other than sheer luck, I have no idea,'' how no one was injured, he said.

Portland police marked the spots where bullets struck the back of a television in the living room of the house.

The house is known to police, having generated gang-related violence calls over the past several years.

The shooting marked the fifth gang-related shooting within the past 12 days, and the 104th gang-related violence call to Portland police so far this year. In 2012, there were 118 gang violence calls.

Brown, who said he was shot in the back 10 years ago, said he was at work Thursday night when his daughter's cousin called to tell him his mother's house had been shot up.

"I'm just happy that everybody is okay,'' Brown said.

A window on the north side of the home that was hit with gunfire.

"It was a horrible thing,'' said Kay Newell, owner of Sunlan Lighting Inc. a few blocks away on North Mississippi Avenue. "That used to be a regular occurrence. We haven't had that in quite awhile. I am so grateful that no child was injured or innocent person was hurt as a result of this stupidity.''

Newell said she's not familiar with the particular house that was struck, but hopes something is done to address the problem.

"Hopefully this will be cleaned up, because it impacts the livability of the community,'' Newell said.

--Maxine Bernstein