Authorities say a child’s alleged gunfire during a family disturbance happened at the Orchards Apartments but was unrelated to the earlier abduction.
CANBY, Ore. — Police returned early Saturday to the Canby apartment complex that was the scene of a high-profile child kidnapping less than two weeks earlier, this time after authorities said a child fired a gun during a family disturbance.
Canby police emphasized that the two cases at the Orchards Apartments do not appear to be connected. The latest incident began shortly after 3:30 a.m. Nov. 7, when officers were sent to the southeast Canby complex after reports of shots fired. Investigators said a family disturbance resulted in a single gunshot allegedly fired by a child.
Officers first encountered a person identified by police as a victim who was leaving the complex in a vehicle. Police described the person as uncooperative. As officers investigated, they determined that family members had been involved in a disturbance before the gun was fired, authorities said.
Police took the child into custody and said a firearm believed to be connected to the incident was found at the scene. The child’s age and identity have not been released. Authorities also have not said whether anyone was injured, and no criminal allegations or additional arrests had been announced.
The location drew added attention because the Orchards Apartments had already been the focus of a major law enforcement investigation after a 10-year-old girl was abducted from a unit there in the early hours of Oct. 28. Her 12-year-old sister also was assaulted during the break-in, according to authorities.
Investigators found the abducted child later that day at a home in Oregon City and arrested a suspect. Vince Edgar Chavez, 36, was later indicted in Clackamas County on charges that include attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse, burglary and assault. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney during a Nov. 5 arraignment and remains accused, not convicted, in that case.
Federal prosecutors also filed a kidnapping charge against Chavez in connection with the Oct. 28 abduction. The earlier case prompted a multi-agency search involving Canby police and other law enforcement agencies before the child was located. Those proceedings remain separate from Saturday’s disturbance.
Police specifically noted the repeated location while announcing the new investigation but said there was no apparent connection or relationship between the family disturbance and the kidnapping case. Authorities have not identified any person from the earlier case as being involved in Saturday’s events.
Several details about the latest response remain unknown. Police have not said what prompted the family dispute, how the child allegedly came into possession of the firearm, where the shot was directed or whether investigators expect further action in the case.
The Saturday incident remains under investigation, with police releasing no additional information about injuries or possible allegations. The earlier kidnapping case, meanwhile, continues through the state and federal court systems as a separate matter.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.