Week #213 Shooting Report | INCLUDES 2 INVESTIGATION VIDEOS | 12 photos | It’s been another tragic week: A reported drive-by shooting in Brentwood-Darlington; a gunshot homicide in the Madison South neighborhood; and, a man, shooting at police, kills himself in a Montavilla park …
The Portland Police Bureau’s Mobile Command Unit rolls out to investigate two fatal shootings in outer East Portland this week. The unit serves as an office for detectives and investigators.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The good news is – as Portland Police Bureau (PPB) Public Information Officer Sergeant Kevin Allen pointed out in last week’s Shooting Report — shooting incidents are down more than 10% so far this year, compared to last year.
However, in the past week, PPB officers have been sent on dozens of “Shots Fired” calls – many of them likely to have been the sound of fireworks, instead – but to genuine “Shooting-with-Weapon” calls as well.
July 6 at 6:06 p.m.
Shots heard lead to an investigation in Brentwood-Darlington
After officers hear gunshots, they pull up at a motel along SE 82nd Avenue of Roses to investigate.
Across the street from the Lents neighborhood, PPB East Precinct officers who were responding to an unrelated call near SE 82nd Avenue of Roses heard gunshots near Flavel Street on July 6, at about 6 p.m.
At 6:06 p.m., a “Shooting” dispatch was sent out, calling in four additional officers to that location. But, in fact, police units were rolling up in front of the DAR-RON Motel, south of SE Malden Street.
It doesn’t take long for more police cruisers to join the investigation of a potential shooting.
The officers’ attention was focused on a Chevy crew-cab pickup truck that was parked at the south end of the motel’s parking lot.
The official police report said nothing about these two freshly-made holes in the side of the truck.
There were two apparent bullet holes in the mid-body, near the fuel-filling hatch. Officers were speaking with a man – not at that time in custody – who appeared to be associated with the truck.
Watch, as officers investigated this suspected shooting incident:
PPB officers and investigators began carefully examining the exterior of the vehicle.
Then, they began looking inside, searching inside the truck, including looking into items they’d removed from the pickup.
Officers search the truck for evidence.
“A witness pointed out the truck to officers, and those officers investigated the driver,” Sergeant Allen told East Portland News after the incident. “There’s no mention of the bullet holes in the truck in the report,” he confirmed. “No immediate arrests were made, there were no known injuries.”
If you have information about this incident, please e-mail crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference Case No. 24-168013.
July 6 at 11:48 p.m.
Man shot, and dies, in Madison South motel parking lot
In the background, NE 82nd Avenue of Roses has been closed off; here, along NE Beech Street. Courtesy KGW-TV News 8
Later the evening of July 6, after more gunshots were heard near the Madison Suites Motel parking lot, at 3622 NE 82nd Avenue of Roses, several calls immediatly came in to report them to the 9-1-1 Center.
At 11:48 p.m., East Precinct officers were sent there – and when they arrived, officers found a man dead in the motel parking lot.
More officers arrived and securing the area, which included shutting down NE 82nd Avenue of Roses from Fremont north to Beech Street. Then PPB Homicide Unit Detectives pulled in to investigate.
An officer points to potential evidence near the site of this fatal shooting. Courtesy KPTV Fox 12 Oregon News
“The suspect or suspects left the scene before police were called, and no immediate arrests were made,” was the terse statement offered by a PPB official afterwards.
If you have information about this incident, contact Detective Meghan Burkeen at Meghan.Burkeen@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2092 or Detective Brian Sims at Brian.Sims@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2079, and reference Case No. 24-168278.
July 10
Man shoots at police, then shoots self, in Montavilla park
Here’s composited image of the starting crime scene at SE 88th Avenue at Main Street.
This complex and deadly incident, on July 10 at 3:42 p.m., started with a traffic stop in the Montavilla neighborhood – and ended with man shooting at police officers, before he turned his gun on himself and died.
Here’s the story: Two PPB Traffic Division officers tried to stop an errant driver near the intersection of SE 92nd Avenue and Taylor Street – but the man at the wheel avoided the attempt to stop him.
Per PPB policy, the officers did not pursue the driver; but they did drive through the neighborhood looking for the car. As officers cruised along SE 88th Avenue, south of Taylor Street, they saw the same vehicle parked, and the suspect outside it, near Main Street.
A PPB Forensics Unit criminologist takes photos within the red tape which marks the crime scene where the suspect shot at officers.
“Officers challenged the suspect,” Sergeant Allen told reporters. “The suspect turned and ran – and as he fled, he fired shots at the officers – but missed them, and the officers did not fire back.”
Instead of returning gunfire, they radioed for additional officers to respond to help coordinate a perimeter to contain the suspect. Within twenty minutes 33 officers, detectives, and investigators were there.
It doesn’t take long for dozens of officers and detectives to respond to the shooting.
These officers walk west on SE Main Street from 89th Avenue, on their way back from Berrydale Park.
The fleeing gunman ran east on Main Street. Coming upon a fence behind Clark Elementary School, along SE 89th Avenue, he ran north into the southwest corner of Berrydale Park.
“Along the way, the suspect fired shots at an unrelated driver who was going past him as he attempted to flee; that adult female driver was not hurt,” Sergeant Allen said.
This video shows officers investigating the original crime scene; Berrydale Park was closed off and completely inaccessible:
“As officers surrounded the park, the suspect shot himself; and, although he was taken to the hospital by ambulance, he later died,” Sergeant Allen said.
No officers or community members were injured. Due to the use of deadly force against police officers, PPB Homicide Unit and Major Crimes Unit detectives arrived and investigated the incident.
This is the gun that the suspected reportedly used to shoot at officers, then a random driver, and eventually – with more accuracy – himself. PPB provided image
Detectives believe there may be additional video evidence of all this that was captured by residential surveillance systems in the area. Residents living between SE 86th Avenue and 92nd Avenue between Taylor and Main Streets are being asked to check their video recordings made on Wednesday afternoon, July 10, between 3:40 p.m. and 3:47 p.m., to see if any footage of the incident was recorded.
If you find you do have video or evidence, and have not already spoken to police, please contact Detective Ryan Foote at ryan.foote@police.portlandoregon.gov (503) 823-0781 – or Detective Travis Law at travis.law@police.portlandoregon.gov (503) 823-0395 – and refer to Case No. 24-171766.
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This concludes our 213th East Portland News “Weekly Shooting Report”. To find out when, why, and how, these weekly “Shooting Report” articles began, and still continue, CLICK HERE.
© 2024 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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