Week #155 Shooting Report | INCLUDES 2 INVESTIGATION VIDEOS | Reporting here on the shootings in, or very near, outer East Portland this week. Just in: Read about the City’s new 4.5 million plan to reduce ‘gun violence’ …
Portland Police officers are called out to eight (8) gun- and shooting-related incidents in our neighborhoods this week.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
With our “Week #155 Shooting Report”, we’re just one week away from the three year anniversary of the start of this troubling series of reports. CLICK HERE to learn why we’ve had so many shootings.
City unveils all-new $4.5 million “gun violence” reduction initiative
As Portland’ Commissioner of Police Mayor Ted Wheeler has done so many times in the past, he’s just revealed yet another initiative intended to curb criminals shooting people with guns.
The city is now launching and implementing an all-new “focused deterrence strategy” to reduce “gun violence” – called “Portland Ceasefire.” More information about this is at the end of this article – including results from last year’s initiative called “Safer Summer PDX”.
But first, this week’s shooting incidents …
May 26 at 1:55 p.m.
Foster-Powell shooting injures female teen
After a shooting victim is found several blocks to the north, PPB “Enhanced Community Safety Team” investigators find “evidence of gunfire” on S. E. 75th Avenue, just north of SE Holgate Boulevard.
This “Shooting-with Weapon” incident on May 26 was initially dispatched to Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers early on Monday afternoon, May 26, at 1:55 p.m. The location was outside the strip mall along SE Powell Boulevard north of 80th Avenue.
“When they arrived, officers found a 17-year-old girl injured,” a PPB spokesperson later reported. “She was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, with injuries that are believed to be non-life-threatening.”
Police investigators canvass S.E 75th Avenue, looking for additional evidence.
However, there was no sign of shooting in the area.
But, circling back through the neighborhood on SE 80th Avenue, and then west on Center Street, past Essex Park, a patrol car was blocking southbound S. E. 75th Avenue; the officer said the shooting scene turned out to be south of his location, just north of SE Holgate Boulevard.
An officer places a yellow evidence marker on this vehicle, denoting the location of a fresh bullet hole.
Members of the PPB’s Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) who arrived there came across numerous spent bullet shell casings.
Watch this brief video of this investigation as it gets underway:
No arrests have been made. If you have information about this shooting, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: ECST and reference Case No. 23-137836.
May 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Gun tossed, during a vehicle stop in Lents
This gun was discarded as suspects ran from thaeir vehicle in Lents. PPB Image
At 7:30 p.m. that same evening, PPB Focused Intervention Team (FIT) officers tried to stop a car that began driving erratically after seeing the police in the area of SE 86th Court and Ellis Street, a short block north of Foster Road.
The vehicle eluded officers, and its occupants ran from the vehicle. However, in his haste, one fleeing person dropped a loaded handgun. While no arrests were made, officers did seize the semiautomatic handgun as evidence. This is Case No. 23-138155, if you have information to share about it.
May 26 at 9:05 p.m.
Fleeing female felon with guns is arrested in Hazelwood
Officers track down, and block in, a fleeing car at the end of a Hazelwood neighborhood dead-end street.
Then, at 9:05 p.m. that Friday evening, PPB Focus Intervention Team (FIT) officers saw a vehicle in the TriMet Park-and-Ride lot at SE 122nd Avenue and East Burnside Street which had eluded police recently. The vehicle sped out of the lot and began driving quickly through residential neighborhoods.
After avoiding another stop attempt, the driver eluded the officers – going west on East Burnside Street, then south on SE 117th Avenue. However her escape plan misfired when she turned east on SE Yamhill Street, which dead-ends into Midland Park.
After first running off, then realizing she was surrounded, 24-year-old River Marie Agrelius surrendered and was arrested. Two loaded firearms were recovered from her car.
Officers find this matched pair of handguns after collaring the female suspect. PPB Image
Agrelius was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 10:18 p.m. that evening on charges of Attempt to Elude Police by Vehicle (a class C Felony), Attempt to Elude Police on foot (a Class A misdemeanor), two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Public.
Although the judge dropped several charges, Agrelius remains behind bars without bail in the MCDC on the weapons charges and a “Transition House Leave Violation” charge.
May 27 at 12:11 a.m.
Gunman menacing Lents McDonald’s customer is captured far away, in Grant Park
This “all nighter” started just after midnight on Saturday, May 27, when East Precinct officers were dispatched to a “Menacing-with Weapon” incident at 12:11 a.m. A caller to 9-1-1 reported that a man had menaced employees with a firearm in the SE Powell Boulevard McDonald’s drive-through, just west of SE 92nd Avenue.
Officers converge on the Lents McDonald restaurant, responding to a “Menacing-with Weapon” report.
Officers arrived and confronted the suspect in a 2015 white Audi Q5 SUV with no license plates. The driver reversed out of the parking lot and eluded officers. The restaurant’s employees did not want to pursue charges against the suspect, and the vehicle was allowed to flee due to “Dissipating of Probable Cause”. (Case No. 23-138430)
However, the Audi was spotted again at 3:25 a.m. on NE 12th Avenue and Flanders Street – where officers actually saw a gun in the car – as the suspect drove off. Moments later the car pulled into a Lloyd Center parking garage and the driver turned and took off again, puncturing a tire on a spike strip. The car was then seen driving recklessly on NE Grand Avenue and Broadway – “But again, due to policy and public safety concerns, the vehicle was not pursued, and was lost in the blocks,” a PPB official said.
But the search goes on …
About 6:43 a.m. in the 2100 block of NE Wasco Street, with the front driver tire completely gone, and the rim destroyed, the suspect drove off in the Audi – hitting pre-deployed spike strips again – and deflated his remaining tires.
Around 7:30 a.m. officers boxed-in the suspect vehicle, challenged the driver from a safe distance, and – you guessed it – he jumped out and ran off on foot. Officers caught up with him and arrested him after this six-hour, 10-mile odyssey. The arrest was at NE 32nd Avenue and Hancock Street in the Grant Park neighborhood.
This is the handgun officers say they found in the tire-flattened Audi they’d been tracking all night. PPB Image
When arrested, the suspect falsely claimed he was “Colton Bryan Hobbs”, and was booked into the MCDC at 9 a.m. that morning, on charges of Attempt to Elude Police by Vehicle (3 counts), Attempt to Elude Police on foot, Reckless Driving (3 counts), Reckless Endangering Another Person, and Failure to Carry and Present Driver’s License.
In the MCDC, his fingerprints were scanned and he was identified as actually being 22-year-old Dylan Jordan Savage – who already had two outstanding felony warrants out of Tennessee. (Case No. 23-138645). However, even with two Felony Fugitive charges, and an out-of-state felony warrant a friendly judge set low bail for Hobbs, née Savage, and he was released on May 31. Will we see him again? Release Reason: Bail.
May 27 at 6:56 p.m.
Uninsured driver arrested in Madison South, with gun
A traffic violation leads to this seized handgun in the Madison South neighborhood. PPB Image
After a PPB FIT officers stopped a car in May 27 at 6:56 p.m. for a traffic violation, in the 8500 block of NE Milton Street. Officers began the process of towing the vehicle and discovered a firearm inside.
After his arrest, 46-year-old Jorge Escalera-Delgado of Vancouver, Washington, was booked into MCDC at 8:03 p.m. on two Misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Public (Case No. 23-139171)
The day of his arraignment, a judge apparently thought bail was unnecessary to assure that Escalera-Delgado, an out-or-state resident, would appear in court on his charges. He was released from custody on May 28. Release Reason: Released on Own Recognizance.
May 28 at 2:40 a.m.
Teen boy shot Glenfair
An ambulance in the distance pulls away after officers found a shot teenager in the Glenfair neighborhood. Courtesy KPTV FOX 12 News
At 2:40 a.m. on May 28 East Precinct officers were dispatched on a “Shooting-with Weapon” report on SE 160th Avenue, a block south of East Burnside Street in the Glenfair neighborhood.
Neighbors agreed they had heard six gunshots before the police began to arrive.
Officers found a 16-year-old male with a gunshot wound to his leg, and broke out their Individual First Aid Kits, to apply a tourniquet to the victim’s leg. The teen was later treated at a local hospital.
The shooting originated from a car that had immediately left the scene, police officials say.
ECST is actively investigating; no one is yet in custody. If you have information about this shooting, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: ECST and refer to Case No. 23-139522.
May 28 at 9:03 p.m.
Parkrose shooting leaves one injured
An officer protects the crime scene in Parkrose, as other officers provide emergency first aid to a wounded person.
Just after 9:00 p.m. on May 28, North Precinct officers were sent to a “Shooting-with Weapon” call along NE Airport Way near Ainsworth Circle.
While officers were still enroute they received an update from Dispatch that a subject had been shot. Knowing this, the first officer to arrive brought his Individual First Aid Kit with him from his car. The officer found the victim with a gunshot wound to the leg, and began emergency medical treatment by applying a tourniquet. The victim was alert and talking when he left by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.
The suspect(s) had left the scene before officers were called; and so far, no arrests have been made. ECST and FIT responded to the scene and assumed control of the investigation. Again, if you have information about this shooting, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: ECST and refer to its case number, Case No. 23-140176.
May 30 at 5:57 p.m.
Domestic Violence leads to shooting in Hazelwood
An officer checks around the area where bullet holes are spotted in the Ride Connection offices along NE Glisan Street.
It took only an hour to wrap up this “Shots Fired” call, on Tuesday, May 30, at 5:57 p.m. on NE Glisan Street, just east of 99th Avenue.
Interestingly, vehicular traffic was allowed to flow both east and west along Glisan Street while the investigation was underway — and up to nine officers were scouting the area, and placing yellow evidence markers over spent bullet casings they came across littering the center turn lane of the street.
In the center turn lane of NE Glisan Street, officers indicate the location of spent bullet shell casings by placing yellow evidence markers over them.
At the north side of the crime scene, officers marked and photographed bullet holes in Ride Connection office building’s window, from both inside and out, as well as a bullet hole in the wall.
After taking photos with smart phones, officers picked up yellow markers in the street and drove off about an hour after they arrived.
Watch, as investigators make quick work of the documentation of this shooting:
“In this incident, shots were fired, but nobody was hit,” Lt. Sheppard told East Portland News later that day.
“This is part of an active ‘domestic violence’ investigation, so we can’t provide more information, other than to say that so far nobody is in custody,” concluded Lt. Sheppard. This is Case No. 23-142059.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
City makes $4.5 million investment in
‘Street Level Outreach’
On June 1, the City of Portland announced a partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) in launching and implementing a “focused deterrence strategy” to reduce gun violence here, called “Portland Ceasefire.”
The program centers on collaboration among Portland’s Community Safety Division and Office of Violence Prevention, City leaders, the Portland Police Bureau, and community groups.
A media release announced that Sierra Ellis, former interim manager of Portland’s Office of Violence Prevention, will serve as Portland Ceasefire’s program manager.
Collaboration, coordination, and trust
“Ceasefire’s success hinges on collaboration, coordination, and trust from all of our partners. We acknowledge Portland’s gun violence problem did not arise overnight and its resolution will take time,” Ellis was quoted as saying.
“Portland Ceasefire works to unify the efforts of the community, law enforcement, and other government partners to engage directly with those at highest risk of carrying out or being victimized by gun violence,” stated Mayor Ted Wheeler.
Once implemented, the Portland Ceasefire model will follow these steps:
- Work with partners to identify people who are at the highest risk of committing or being a victim of gun violence.
- Establish direct and respectful communication with these individuals.
- Offer these individuals services, opportunities, and support through multiple programs, including the Office of Violence Prevention’s Intensive Case Management Program. These services help individuals move to a safer location, to complete a diploma or GED program, to find a job, to receive training, to enroll in mental health treatment, and more. Recent investments doubled the Office of Violence Prevention’s case manager pool from 12 to 24 managers.
- Unite the entire law enforcement community with the singular objective of reducing gun violence by prioritizing individuals who inflict the most harm upon the community and refuse to engage with services.
Portland’s contract with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform lasts through April 2024.
Along with the Portland Ceasefire partnership, Portland is making a historic $4.5 million “investment” over the next two years to fund “Street Level Outreach Workers” and “violence interrupters” through the Cure Violence model, a “public health approach” to reducing “gun violence” the release said.
How successful will the Portland Ceasefire initiative be, using the Cure Violence model?
See how it’s worked out in the city, where it started, by reading the TIME Magazine Article, “A New Study Casts Doubt on One of the Country’s Most Popular Violence Prevention Approaches”, CLICK HERE.
Looking back at 2022’s
‘Safer Summer PDX’ Initiative
Last year about this time, Police Commissioner Wheeler and and the Community Safety Division rolled out the “Safer Summer PDX” Initiative in April 2022, securing $2.7 million from City Council for the effort that began in June 2022.
At the time, Wheeler said the program partners with Bureaus to collaborate on ‘place-based strategies’ to combat ‘gun violence’.
Sometime last summer, the program’s name was changed to “Safer Summer PDX – Focused Investment” (SSPPDX-FI)
The Safer Summer PDX – Focused Investment Final Report states:
Results indicate approximately 2,400 direct beneficiaries from programming, 400 high risk individuals supported into behavioral patterns away from violence, a reduction in gun violence incidents of 19% from the same period in 2021, and a 43% reduction from the predicted gun violence incidents for the period.
The Final Report is elegantly written in lofty language but it is difficult to understand what it is really reporting, in our opinion. For example, quoting from the document, [with our thoughts annotated]:
Objective 1:
To persuade those most likely to shoot this summer not to engage in gun violence
Objective 1 Outcomes:
· SSPDX-FI awarded 5 partners a total value of $929,973 with an estimated reach of 1,677 individuals. [Or, $554 spent to reach each “individual”?]
· All partners were new to the City and are now registered as qualified vendors willing to support gun violence reduction initiatives with passion, credibility, and access to target communities. The “Credible Messenger” model proved effective. [How? In what ways?]
· Engaged clients and family members consistently reported the benefit of engagement and almost immediate improvement in life factors by Credible Messengers’ presence and efforts. [What are “life factors”?]
· Given the relatively small size of Portland’s communities, economies of scale and opportunities for co-collaboration readily manifested, e.g. one provider’s block party provided short term employment events for other partners’ mentees. [Only “one provider’s block party provided short term employment”?]
· Individual and community trauma is powerful but can be harnessed in a manner to be a foundation for resilience and progress. [A statement of opinion, not an outcome.]
· More time and space must be given to partner capacity building to implement this work in an accountable and compliant manner. And more strategic thought given to how to connect multiple partners’ efforts into a coordinated plan to address gun violence. [Emphasis added above. Was this program not done in a way that was accountable or compliant ways?]
Perhaps others will be able to decipher Safer Summer PDX – Focused Investment Final Report better than us. CLICK HERE to be directly linked to the city’s report, and judge for yourself how effective it was.
© 2023 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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