Portland pastor survives shooting

    PORTLAND-- APortland pastor is recovering after being shot by an unknown assailant early last month while driving in theGreshamarea.

     Andrew Trogen, 36, pastor of Hope for theNationsChurch, which meets in southeastPortland, was driving someReynoldsHigh Schoolstudents home on Thursday night, Feb. 6, after a youth group meeting ran late. He dropped off one boy atN.E. 183rd Ave.andWasco St., and prepared to back out of the driveway when he noticed a sports utility vehicle on his right, possibly waiting for him to drive away.

      But when Trogen's Ford Escort was parallel to the SUV, someone from the other vehicle apparently opened fire at point-blank range.  A series of six shots rang out, with three bullets piercing Trogen’s side fender, driver’s door, and the rear fender near the gas tank.  Trogen felt a hot sensation pulsate through his legs -- he was shot with the  bullets passing through his left leg and then through his right one.

     After checking to see if his other two passengers were all right, Trogen’s only thought was to rush to the hospital as blood gushed from his legs.  He dialed 911 on his cellular phone and was told by emergency dispatchers andGreshampolice to pull over in case he would pass out and crash the car.

     Trogen was determined to drive to the hospital at speeds topping 70 mph, relying on prayer and adrenaline.  His prayers were apparently answered as he arrived atLegacyEmanuelHealthCenter  inPortlandwithout losing consciousness.  Doctors believe he will fully recover from his injuries although there is a chance of permanent nerve damage. 

     What caused the assailant to open fire? Greshampolice told the Gresham Outlook that investigators don?t know.  Trogen doesn’t either.  But the pastor said there are lots of possibilities:

      Someone may have mistaken his car for someone else’s.  The bullets might have been intended for someone else in the car, or someone the shooters thought was in the car.  Trogen said some of his church youth do have troubled pasts. 

      The whole ordeal has taught Trogen that no one is immune to such an experience, and he is still amazed at the shooter’s audacity. Friends and family are glad Trogen is all right, including his wife Jaylynn, and his father, Larry, who is retired pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church onN.E. Glisan St.inPortland.

      The elder Trogen preached in his son’s place at Hope for the Nations on  Sunday, Feb. 9, before leaving on a scheduled three-week trip to The Phillippines on Feb. 10.

     The elder Trogen is grateful the bullets didn’t shatter a bone or penetrate any vital organs. He believes the person who shot the bullet needs a lot of help and he is praying that they gets the help needed.  Above all, he hopes that justice will prevail, and that no one else will have to go through this.

     “It (the shooting) was a shock to all of us,” Larry Trogen wrote in an e-mail to Ron and Karen Rohman, coordinators of a local prayer group. 

     Anyone who has information on the shooting is encouraged to call theGreshampolice tips line, 503-618-2719 or 888-989-3505.