Week #143 Shooting Report | UPDATED: Suspect arrested | A teen critically wounded in Hazelwood; another shooting near Mt. Scott Park; and a shooting murder along SE Powell Boulevard –another bloody week in outer East Portland. But, there’s some good news, too …
Officers are called out to investigate shootings – including a fatal incident – this week.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The East Portland News Shooting Report starts were it left off last week; with violent people using guns to commit crimes in our neighborhoods. It’s the 143rd week since Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler put an end to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Gun Violence Reduction Team.
Even though the news about armed criminal behavior continues, read on to find out what our PPB Neighborhood Response Team (NRT) and District Officers have been doing to reduce shootings …
March 8
Shooting injures 13-year-old boy in Hazelwood
This afternoon shooting continues on into the evening in the Hazelwood neighborhood.
About a half hour after school let out on Wednesday, March 8, shots were heard along SE 112th Avenue, just north of Lincoln Street.
“Arriving officers located a wounded 13-year-old male,” PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Kevin Allen tersely told East Portland News. “Paramedics responded, and the victim was taken to a local hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
“The suspect or suspects left the scene, and have not been located; no arrests have been made, and no suspect information is being released at this time,” Sgt. Allen said.
The PPB’s “Focused Intervention Team” (FIT) was called in to assist with the investigation. Detectives from the Bureau’s “Enhanced Community Safety Team”(ECST) are actively investigating this shooting.
The shooting these officers are investigating critically wounded a young teen.
“The shooting happened in a busy area, and detectives believe there may be witnesses who have not yet spoken to investigators. Eyewitnesses and video evidence are crucial in solving these cases, and crime victims need people to come forward with information,” urged Sgt. Allen
If you have information about this shooting, you’re are asked to e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, Attention :ECST, and reference Case No. 23-61363.
March 9
Yet another shooting near Mt. Scott Park
Police are again called to the southwest corner of Mt. Scott Park to investigate a shooting.
Mt. Scott-Arleta neighbors have taken steps to curb shootings in their area. But, mere feet away from where major shooting incidents took place in 2020 at Mt. Scott Park [CLICK HERE to read about it], another shooting took place in the mid-afternoon of Thursday, March 9.
PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched to the area at 3:17 that afternoon on a “Shots Fired” call; and indeed they did find evidence of a shooting. One yellow police evidence marker was at the eastern curb of S.E. 72nd Avenue, just south of Knight Street.
These officers document evidence, in this case, a spent bullet shell casing, left behind in the Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood.
“Officers were sent to the area after a medical unit saw someone shooting at a vehicle,” Sgt. Allen affirmed. “The shooter or shooters quickly ran off. While we’ve located evidence of the shooting, so far no one has called in to say they were being shot at,” he said.
In this case, there were no known injuries; and no one has been taken into custody. If you have information to share about this shooting, e-mail it to crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov, Attention: SHOOTING, and reference Case No. 23-62330.
March 9
Man found dead after Foster-Powell encampment shooting
Along S.E. Powell Boulevard the PPB’s Mobile Command Unit pulls up; detectives and officers go to work documenting the scene of a deadly shooting.
Just eight blocks west of the area shared by the Lents and Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhoods, a man was found shot dead in a transient camp along S.E. Powell Boulevard (Highway 26) at 74th Avenue, on Thursday evening, March 9.
The PPB East Precinct officers who were dispatched to this “Shooting-with Weapon” call at 7:28 p.m. were directed to the SE Powell Boulevard Frontage Road, a quarter block east of S.E. 74th Avenue – specifically, to one of several parking areas along the south side of the state highway.
Detectives mark bullet holes in the window of a car nearby where the shooting victim fell.
The first-arriving of the 14 officers called for the crime scene area to be cordoned off. Officers then remained in their patrol cruisers, out of the frigid bone-chilling windblown rain, waiting for the PPB Homicide Unit detectives and Forensics Division workers to arrive.
As the PPB Mobile Command Unit parked along S.E. 74th Avenue, personnel were warming in the rig, taking turns inspecting and documenting the crime scene around the dead man, who lay near one of the tarp-covered camper vans.
An officer points out the location of the deceased man.
According to PPB officials, the incident started out as a “Shots Fired” call – until officers arrived and found the dead man near an encampment.
“The suspect or suspects left [before officers arrived], and no arrests have been made,” is all police officials would say about this incident.
A PPB “Crime Scene Investigator” prepares to photograph evidence at the scene of this shooting homicide.
The victim of this shooting has been named as 39-year-old Rene Ramirez Martinez. Family-provided image
UPDATE
On March 13, the PPB revealed that the victim in this homicide is identified as 39-year-old Rene Ramirez Martinez.
The Medical Examiner confirmed the manner and cause of his death to be homicide by gunshot wound. Police officials did not comment about the circumstances of the shooting, or if Ramirez Martinez was a resident of the camp.
UPDATE: Suspect captured
On May 3 officials revealed that 38-year-old Jorge Gomez Montejano was identified by Portland Police Homicide Detectives as the suspect in this case, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. On May 2, 2023, Montejano was arrested by the US Marshal’s Service and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 4:33 p.m. on charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Unauthorized Use of a Weapon. He is currently being held in the MCDC without bail.
Should you have facts about this case, please contact Detective Steve Gandy at Stephen.Gandy@police.portlandoregon.gov, or call (503) 823-0449 – or Detective Jeff Pontius at Jeffery.Pontius@police.portlandoregon.gov, or call 503-823-0433 – and when you do, reference Case No. 23-62542.
Good gun news
The good news we promised concerns our PPB East Precinct and NRT officers, who have been actively working diligently, along with those in the FIT, to take guns away from those who commit violent acts with them. Here are just two examples.
March 2
Guns and stolen cars seized
Officers took these guns, and an arsenal of ammunition, in an outer East Portland bust.
Although they’re not disclosing the exact location, on Thursday, March 2nd, East Precinct officers and East NRT were investigating a vacant property. There, they found two heavily armed people.
Just how “heavily armed”? They had two AR-15s (one of them was stolen), a ghost gun (made of plastic and untraceable), a large cache of ammunition — and as you might expect, a stash of illegal drugs. By the way, the officers also recovered five stolen vehicles associated there.
March 7
Convicted felon relieved of stolen handgun
Apparently this was one of the stolen vehicles discovered by officers; and shown beside it, the gun that they confiscated.
While PPB East Precinct day shift officers were investigating a stolen vehicle at NE 77th Avenue and Broadway, they contacted a convicted felon with a stolen firearm. Officers were able to safely take this person into custody, and book the subject into jail on multiple charges, including “Felon in Possession of a Firearm”.
March 8
Dozing, drugged armed felon awakes and smashes into officers
Then, in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, on March 8, at 1:42 a.m., East Precinct officers were dispatched to the area of SE 119th Avenue and Clinton Street to check the welfare of a man who was seen slumped over in a blue Ford F350 pickup truck. The concerned community member reportedly noticed the engine running and banged on the window, but the man kept snoozing.
Seeing the butt of this gun in the truck gives officers concern. PPB image
Officers arrived, located the truck, and immediately spotted a handgun in the center console and drug paraphernalia nearby. In order to decrease the chance of the driver driving off in a possibly impaired state, officers placed spike strips under the truck’s tires.
The officers then used sirens, air horns and a loud hailing PA system to wake the man, but were unsuccessful. The driver eventually woke up and noticed several police cars behind him. He immediately sped off, heading south on 119th Avenue; but, the spike strips effectively deflated the truck’s tires.
What turns out to be a stolen truck, driven by a convicted felon – with a gun – crashes into a police SUV. PPB image
Despite having several deflated tires, the driver of the truck continued driving south on 119th Avenue, failing to stop at a stop sign at Powell Boulevard, and crashed head-on into a parked, but occupied police vehicle. The two officers inside received minor injuries. Based on the police vehicle’s position and trajectory of the truck, officers believe the truck would have driven into the side of a nearby house, where a child was sleeping.
After crashing, the driver bailed out and started running away. Officers established a perimeter, and approximately 20 minutes later, the suspect was safely taken into custody.
Upon inspection, officers learned the F350 was stolen out of Vancouver, WA.
Here’s the truck, after the crash, and just before the suspect is caught. PPB image
The suspect is identified as 42-year-old Jeremiah Lee Prueitt, who was booked the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) on the following charges:
Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle
Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle
Possession of a Loaded Firearm
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm
Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Attempt to Elude in a Vehicle
Reckless Driving (Two Counts)
Interfering with a Peace Officer
Attempt to Elude on Foot
Failure to Perform the Duty of a Driver (Hit & Run)
Currently, Prueitt remains in custody at the MCDC, in lieu of $20,000 bail.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We’re hoping for more good news and a bit less bad news in future weeks; but only time will tell. Either way, the outer East Portland News will be right here.
© 2023 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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