See why it didn’t take long for law enforcement to collar three suspects in this case …
The usually-busy intersection of SE 82nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard in outer East Portland is closed down while police investigate a double shooting.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Gunshots rang out, breaking the relative stillness of a summer-like evening at 9:20 p.m. on May 11 in front of the 7-Eleven Store on the northeast corner of SE 82nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard in the Montavilla Neighborhood.
When Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers arrived, they found one shooting victim down on the sidewalk, and another holding his own hand, after being grazed by bullets.
Police secure the scene, near a convenience store at the intersection of SE 82nd Avenue and Powell Boulevard.
Witnesses are questioned by officers, after the double shooting.
“17-year-old Januel Zermeno was shot in the right leg and 18-year-old Mykehail Mars was shot in the left hand,” reported PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson. “One male was transported to a Portland hospital with what are believed to be non-life- threatening injuries. The other male remained at the scene for treatment.”
While some officers closed off SE 82nd Avenue, others – with a good description of the suspects – fanned out through the area to begin their search.
The suspects stopped laughing when they heard police nearby, and dumped their gun, resident Tommy Burke says.
“We were in our house, had our windows open, and heard the gunshots,” said Franklin High School student Thomas “Tommy” Burke.
“They walked [east from SE 82nd Avenue] on SE Franklin Street, and fired another shot,” Burke told East Portland News. “They were laughing about it, right in front of our house; that’s what caught our attention.
Officers fill in the members of the Gang Enforcement Team on details of the shooting.
“We went outside and saw two people walking by,” Burke continued. “They went to the end of our street – it’s a dead end – and then came back. When they heard the sirens, they hid what looked like a gun by a post in front of our house.”
Burke called 9-1-1 and reported the activity. “When the police arrived, we pointed it out to them. It was a silver Smith & Wesson revolver.”
By that time, the PPB Gang Enforcement Team had rolled into the area, and joined in the search for suspects – and soon collared three individuals in connection with the crime.
“Gang Enforcement Team investigators arrested three people,” Simpson confirmed. “They also located the handgun.”
Officials are holding 38-year-old Bryan Curtis Whitecloud and 26-year-old Jillian Ann Kay on two counts of Attempted Murder, among other charges. MCDC booking photos
At 9:36 p.m., 38-year-old Bryan Curtis Whitecloud was in handcuffs and was being read his rights. One minute later, 26-year-old Jillian Ann Kay was also arrested as a suspect in the shooting near SE 84th Avenue at Brooklyn Street,
“A 17-year-old female associate of the victims was also arrested after officers discovered her concealing a handgun in a jacket,” Simpson added.
As the investigation continues, police maintain the crime scene, near this busy SE Portland intersection.
At 5:41 a.m. on May 12, Whitecloud was booked at Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC), charged with Attempted Aggravated Murder, Attempted Murder (two counts), Assault in the Second Degree (two counts), and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. He remains in custody at MCDC in lieu of combined bail of $1.25 million bail.
Ms. Kay was booked into MCDC at 5:40 a.m. on charges of Attempted Aggravated Murder, Attempted Murder (two counts), and Assault in the Second Degree (two counts). She remains in custody at MCDC, with her combined bail set at $1.25 million.
© 2013 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News
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