UPDATED with Arrest > INCLUDES TWO INVESTIGATION VIDEOS | SHOOTING REPORT | SEE 12 EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS | Three of four of these outer East Portland incidents took place in the Hazelwood neighborhood this week – the last two shootings wounded victims. But, not all of the ‘bangs’ heard involved a firearm …
When shootings are reported this week, Portland Police Bureau officers investigate, but some of the incidents led them in surprising directions.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
After a blissfully quiescent interval, reports of shooting in outer East Portland have resumed this week. While not all of these incidents even arose to the level of crimes, one shooting left a man wounded.
Two shots-fired reports – about 24 hours apart – started the series of incidents: One each on Friday and Saturday night, April 18th and 19th. Both brought out a large contingent of Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers along SE Stark Street.
These officers gather in the Hazelwood neighborhood, having been dispatched to a “Shooting with Weapon”.
They’re shooting themselves, too
On April 18 at 10:22 p.m., Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct officers were dispatched to the area of SE 128th Avenue and Stark Street for a “Shooting-with- Weapon”. Eight officers responded, as well as an ambulance and Portland Fire & Rescue’s Mill Park Station 7 Engine Company.
“At this call, officers found that this was an ‘accidental discharge of a firearm’ by its owner,” PPB Public Information Officer Terri Wallo Strauss told East Portland News. “The subject was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening injury; and, no arrests were made.”
The loud, percussive sounds that bring officers to this call turned out to be something other than a shooting.
And the walls took a beating in East Portland
On April 19 at 11:05 p.m., twelve PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched to the Starkwood Apartments, on SE 111th Avenue just north of Stark Street – to what was described as another “Shooting with Weapon”.
Officers swarmed the area, blocking the avenue at Stark Street, as they investigated what was dispatched as a family disturbance that led to a shooting.
“This was an incident involving people in the same family; but no shots were fired during the altercation” the PPB’s Wallo Strauss informed us. “Instead, holes were punched in the wall. Ultimately, no arrests were made.”
UPDATED April 23
Injury shooting leads to wide area manhunt in Hazelwood
Along SE 106th Avenue, officers find “evidence of shooting” in abundance.
This dispatch really was for a crime: On April 23 just before 6 p.m., shots were heard on the short block of S. E. 106th Avenue just south of Stark Street – a block north of the PPB’s East Precinct police station.
Within two minutes of the “Shots Fired” dispatch an East Precinct officer reported finding numerous bullet shell casings – and seeing a man driving away in a way that appeared to be suspicious.
Spent bullet shell casings litter the street – each one denoted with its own evidence marker.
A total of 27 officers participated in the hunt for the suspect.
Watch now, as PPB Enhanced Community Safety Team members and Forensics Unit investigators document the scene of this shooting:
“Officers located a suspect – who eluded them in a vehicle. But officers did not actively pursue the vehicle,” Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen told East Portland News the following day.
“However, he crashed the vehicle at NF 122nd Avenue and Glisan Street, and ran away on foot,” Sergeant Allen added.
While PPB Forensics Unit officers document the shooting scene, others are looking for a man they believe to be the suspect.
Police set up a perimeter and searched the neighborhood streets, from East Burnside Street to NE Glisan Street, and between NE 122nd to 127th Avenues.
“Residents and community members inside that small area were notified of the search through PublicAlerts.org, and, as a precaution, were asked to stay inside with doors and windows closed and locked,” said Sergeant Allen. “Thanks to outstanding police work, the suspect they were seeking was arrested inside the perimeter, hiding in a resident’s yard, under a deck.”
Investigators continue to gather evidence in the area of the shooting.
As the PPB’s Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) and Focused Intervention Team (FIT) investigated the shooting, it was discovered that the person arrested was indeed wanted – but apparently was not involved in that shooting.
The arrested subject, 30-year-old Deshawn Ronald Nichols, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 9:54 p.m. that evening for an outstanding but unrelated arrest warrant, and for other charges related to eluding the police. A search of the car that Nichols was driving resulted in the location and seizure of a stolen gun.
At his arraignment the judge dropped one Felony and four Misdemeanor charges related to “Eluding Law Enforcement”, but Nichols was briefly held in the MCDC bail on his unspecified arrest warrant, and on Misdemeanor charges of Interfering with a Peace Officer, and Escape in the Third Degree.
UPDATE
On April 24, Nichols was set free, having been required to post no bail. Release Reason: Court Release on Recognizance.
Long into the evening, this shooting investigation continues.
Shooting victim gets ‘Advanced Trauma Care’
While officers were searching for the suspect and documenting the shooting scene, “a 41-year-old male, had serious, potentially life-threatening injuries, and was driven to Adventist Medical Center; and then taken by ambulance to a different hospital, for advanced trauma care. He is recovering at the hospital and expected to survive his injuries,” Sergeant Allen informed. “He was seriously hurt, but at this point we do not believe his injuries are life-threatening.”
Arrest made
On April 30, Portland Police revealed that witnesses provided helpful information to ECST investigators and evidence found led them to identify a suspect, 21-year-old Amir Jahon Christianson, of Portland.
In the evening of Tuesday, April 29, 2025, Detectives located Christianson and called in SERT (along with the Crisis Negotiation Team or CNT), who successfully arrested him.
These are the guns PPB officers say the seized in the process of a warranted search of an inner Northeast Portland residence located in the Irvington neighborhood.
A search warrant, served by PPB detectives, turned up two handguns at their target residence, in the Irvington neighborhood, in the 2500 block of NE 15th Avenue (near Brazee Street) — seven miles west of the Hazelwood shooting location, . Those guns were seized as evidence and will be tested.
During the investigation of the shooting and the subsequent search warrants, Detectives found information about other crimes committed by Christianson against members of his family. Christianson was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center the day of his arrest at 7:33 p.m. on the following charges:
Attempted Murder in the Second Degree
Assault in the First Degree
Unlawful Use of a Weapon
Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree-Domestic Violence
Using a Child in Display of Sexually Explicit Conduct
Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree.
Currently, Christianson is being held without bail on the Attempted Murder and Sex Abuse charges.
The investigation continues. If anyone has information about this case or crimes committed by Christianson, they’re asked to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov attn: ECST and reference Case No. 25-105207.
April 24
Man wounded in Lents apartment parking lot shooting
As more officers arrive at this Lents neighborhood shooting, an ambulance rushes the wounded shooting victim to a local hospital.
Minutes before midnight on Thursday, April 24, there were shots in the parking lot of the Lents 2000 Apartments at 8940 SE Reedway Street. A wounded man fell to the pavement.
Several calls to the 9-1-1 Center at 11:47 p.m. that evening sent PPB East Precinct officers to the area.
This apartment building’s parking lot becomes a crime scene.
In addition to finding a wounded man, you’re a witness as officers look for evidence at the scene of this shooting:
Officers cordoned off SE Reedway Street with yellow caution tape, and quickly strung red “crime scene” tape near where the shooting took place – along the southern end of the apartment house parking lot.
It didn’t take long for nine officers to arrive at the scene, two of them attached to the PPB’s Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST), to begin the investigation.
After finding spent bullet casings, each designated by a yellow evidence marker, this investigator looks for even more evidence nearby.
“Arriving officers found one man who was shot in the leg multiple times,” Public Information Manager Mike Benner told East Portland News on Friday. “The wounded man was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, with what are thought to be non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect or suspects left the scene, and no immediate arrests were made.”
Into the wee hours of night, this shooting investigation continues.
The PPB ECST is continuing this investigation. If you have information about this case, and haven’t yet talked with police, email it to crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov; attn: ECST and reference Case No. 25-106475
By the way … secretly turn in a crook for cold cash …
Also, information can be submitted – anonymously – through the Crime Stoppers of Oregon website. Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 for information that’s reported to Crime Stoppers, and which leads to an arrest in this, any unsolved, felony crime – and tipsters can remain anonymous.
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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