PORTLAND — Portland Police were investigating an early morning double homicide on Sunday, Jan. 17, in the city’s Centennial neighborhood.

The victims’ bodies were found when officers responded to the area after a caller reported a shooting. Homicide Division detectives were investigating the scene, the Portland Police Bureau said in a press release.

The city continues to be plagued by an increase in gun violence, a trend that has also unfolded nationwide. As of Jan. 15, Portland Police said there had been 51 verified shooting incidents and 16 people hit by gunfire in the city so far in 2021.

There were more than 50 homicides in the city in 2020, the most in 26 years.