Home invasion in Hazelwood leads to shooting

Here’s what robbery detectives are saying about this armed assault in the Hazelwood neighborhood …

Police come to this outer East Portland street, and find a man with gunshot wounds in his front yard.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

The quiet of a summer morning along a street of well-kept homes and yards was shattered by gunshots at 5:59 a.m. on August 11. The location was NE 141st Avenue, almost halfway between East Burnside and NE Glisan Street.

“Really – look around; all of my neighbors take pride in their homes, and it’s usually pretty quiet on our street,” reported neighbor Brenda Oliver, as she watched Portland Police Bureau (PPB) detectives and criminalists working down her street.

“But, that house was different,” Oliver told East Portland News. “It seemed like there was a lot of people walking, riding bikes, and driving up to the house, pretty much day and night.”

A PPB Robbery Division detective interviews a neighbor.

9-1-1 Center dispatchers radioed to PPB East Precinct officers that, not only were gunshots reported, but calls told also of a man, in his yard, hollering for help.

“Officers located a 42-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound in the yard of a home,” confirmed PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson.

A PPB Criminalist walks back toward his rig after examining the crime scene.

“The victim told police he was asleep in his home when an unknown male broke in, armed with a handgun, and demanded money,” Simpson said. “The victim told police that he didn’t have any money, so the suspect shot him, and then left the home.”

The suspect was described as an unknown race male wearing a black mask and all black clothing.

An officer and detective share information as they walk back into the crime scene area.

“Officers, including a Police Canine Unit, searched the area and the home, but did not locate anyone matching the suspect’s description,” Simpson said.

Have information about this incident? Contact Detective Brett Hawkinson at 503-823-1080, brett.hawkinson@portlandoregon.gov.

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