Week #94 Shooting Report | UPDATED Criminals, with guns, kill more people – in outer East Portland, and beyond. See what Portland’s Chief of Police says about the state of his Bureau. And, view the proposed PPB budget, all right here …
Across outer East Portland neighborhoods, as more shots are heard, officers continue to respond and investigate.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
As the month of April ended and May began, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers, Homicide Unit detectives, and members of such specialty units as the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) were hard-pressed to investigate all the calls.
Due to the exceptional volume of violence across the city, PPB Chief of Police Charles “Chuck” Lovell held an online press conference with reporters on May 3. More about that, and the weekly “Shots Fired Log”, appear later in this article …
Two die in apparent Powellhurst-Gilbert murder-suicide
Working in a downpour, officers close off a short street, as another shooing investigation begins.
On April 30, just after 2 a.m., PPB East Precinct officers were dispatched to townhomes on a dead end stub of SE Woodward Street, just east of 141st Avenue, after two adults were reported shot.
The first responding officers reported back to precinct commanders that they’d located two dead adults in one of the townhomes. PPB Homicide Unit Detectives were sent to conduct an investigation.
PPB officials provided no additional information at the time, other than that officers were not looking for any suspects related to the shooting.
Neighbors along the short street who talked with reporters said they didn’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary before the shooting.
Detectives now say that this woman, 31-year-old Sharline Esah, was murdered by her husband in their home – before he turned his gun on himself. Social media image
On May 2, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the homicide victim was 31-year-old Sharline Esah – adding that an autopsy determined that she had died from a gunshot wound.
The suspect in the case has been identified as Sharline Esah’s husband, 30-year-old Lopez Uehara. The Medical Examiner conducted another autopsy and determined Uehara had also died from a gunshot wound, and ruled his death a suicide.
The day after the shooting, the yellow caution tape has been taken down, but neighbors told East Portland News they were still shaken by the tragic incident on their street.
If you have any information about this case, please contact Detective Meghan Burkeen Meghan.Burkeen@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-2092 or Detective Travis Law Travis.Law@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0395. Let them know this is regarding Case No. 22-113943.
Shooting death in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood
After a man is found murdered, police investigate.
In Southeast, just 2.9 miles west of outer East Portland on May 4 at 1:34 a.m., officers were sent to an apartment building on SE Division Street near 28th Avenue, where a shooting was reported. When officers arrived they found a deceased man inside an apartment.
UPDATE
Officials say this man, 30-year-old Morgan “Max” Victor was the victim in this shooting; Medical Examiner’s Office has determined his manner and cause of death to be homicide by gunshot wound.
On May 11, officials revealed that, during this investigation, PPB Detectives identified the suspect in this homicide case as 33-year-old Nathaniel Curtis Freeman. On May 10, 2022, the US Marshals, in conjunction with the assistance of Clackamas County SWAT, Freeman was captured and arrested.
Freeman was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on May 11 at 12:19 a.m. on charges of Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm; Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Why no booking photo? CLICK HERE to learn the reason.
At his arraignment, Freeman learned that he’d be held, without bail at the MCDC on the Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm charge.
If you have information about this case, please contact Detective Ryan Foote at Ryan.Foote@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0781 or Detective Calvin Goldring at Calvin.Goldring@portlandoregon.gov 503-823-0256. Tell them this is regarding Case No. 22-117674.
People shot in Hazelwood, Parkrose
Although these victims were not killed, only wounded, officers still gather to investigate thoroughly.
April 30 at 1:17 a.m.
East Precinct officers were dispatched to a shooting along the TriMet MAX Light Rail line on East Burnside Street at 127th Avenue in the Hazelwood neighborhood. One victim was found and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made, and no suspect information is currently available. This is Case No. 22-113966.
May 3 at 5:31 a.m.
Officers and emergency medical first-responders were sent to a shooting in the Parkrose neighborhood, on NE Prescott Street near 94th Avenue. One shooting victim was found and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests, no suspect information is currently available. This is Case No. 22-116804.
PPB ECST investigators consider all gunfire aimed at Portland community members to be attempted murder cases. Eyewitnesses or video evidence is crucial in solving these cases, and these crime victims need people to come forward with any information. If you or anyone you know has information about a shooting case, please contact crimetips@portlandoregon.gov. Or tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers of Oregon, and the “tipper” may receive cash rewards of up to $2,500.
Portland Police Bureau’s Chief holds press conference
His Bureau is working to hire new officers to replace the 90 or so scheduled to retire this year, assures PPB Chief Chick Lovell.
After another weekend of murders, shootings and a downtown riot, on May 3rd PPB Chief of Police Charles “Chuck” Lovell held an online press conference with local reporters. “Despite the staffing challenges, we’re seeing officers doing good police work. I want to thank the men and women on the Force before we get started,” he said.
Updates Officer hiring process
Lovell stated that the PPB Personnel Division has hired eight additional background investigators. “Hopefully this will shave some time off the time investigation takes, without necessarily affecting the quality of applicants were getting through the system,” Lovell assured.
Currently, the PPB has 117 applicants who are being considered for “background investigations”, and another hundred applications that potentially could be assigned to background investigations as they come on stream. However, Lovell reminded, it takes time for approved applicants to go through Oregon’s Basic Police Academy in Salem for the 16 weeks of training, after which there’s an 18-month probation after an officer is hired.
Staffing level update
Having 110 officers spread over three shifts doesn’t provide robust coverage to East Precinct neighborhoods, remarks PPB Chief Chick Lovell.
“Right now, currently, we’re it 772 sworn officers of all ranks,” Lovell revealed. “Right now, in our Patrol Division at the three precincts, we have 329 officers,” Lovell said. “So, we have just over – let’s say – 110 officers per precinct. When you consider that officers are out 24 hours a day, every day, when you spread that out over three shifts, it’s clear these numbers are not nearly as big as they seem.
“And then, at a lot of the calls we go on now, officers are working to de-escalate [situations], talking with people, and trying to work through things,” Lovell went on. “So, many of these calls take more officers, and take quite a bit more time.
“On most shifts, we are under our minimum staffing level to just take the patrol calls,” Lovell pointed out.
Staff raided from Cold Case Detail
The Police Chief acknowledged that there’s been a significant rise in homicides in the city. “This has really stressed our Homicide Division resources. Last year we had 92 homicide callouts, and 120 total [death] callouts. That number is just unsustainable for the number of homicide detectives that we’ve had.”
Responding to questions, Lovell confirmed that he has moved two Cold Case Detail detectives and a sergeant over to assist the Homicide Division. “These cold cases are very important to us; they involve the death of a community member; we know the importance these have to families. We are not turning away from that work. It is just a temporary shift of resources to address the rise in homicides we face currently.”
See proposed PPB budget
To see the Draft Portland Police Bureau budget for the coming fiscal year, as proposed by Portland’s Police Commissioner, Mayor Ted Wheeler, CLICK HERE.
SHOTS FIRED LOG
An officer keeps watch at a blocked-off a street as another East Portland shooting investigation takes place.
This week, 29 “Shots Fired” calls were logged in or near our neighborhoods – three less than last week. Any decline, at all, is potentially a good sign.
However, outside of our area, officers were sent to 71 such calls. So, the overall number of “Shots Fired” calls held steady across the city as a whole. A reminder that at many of these called-in reports, officers don’t find any evidence of shooting.
April 27
22-111844 04/27/2022 20:01:58 9900 Block of NE SANDY BLVD
22-111946 04/27/2022 22:17:34 400 Block of NE 76TH AVE
22-111971 04/27/2022 22:38:42 200 Block of SE 119TH AVE
April 28
22-112081 04/28/2022 01:31:09 400 Block of SE 157TH AVE
22-112128 04/28/2022 03:09:17 8200 Block of NE SANDY BLVD
22-112894 04/28/2022 21:56:50 2800 Block of NE 102ND AVE
22-112894 04/28/2022 21:56:50 2800 Block of NE 102ND AVE
April 29
22-113115 04/29/2022 05:10:02 SE 92ND AVE / SE WOODSTOCK BLVD
22-113690 04/29/2022 18:54:02 NE GLISAN ST / I205 FWY
22-113714 04/29/2022 19:22:33 6400 Block of SE 97TH AVE
22-113733 04/29/2022 19:46:30 NE 76TH AVE / NE OREGON ST
22-113859 04/29/2022 22:46:19 17200 Block of SE ALDER ST
April 30
22-113966 04/30/2022 01:19:21 NE 122ND AVE / E BURNSIDE ST
22-114713 04/30/2022 23:11:05 13700 Block of SE LINCOLN ST
22-114749 04/30/2022 23:48:31 9600 Block of SE RAMONA ST
22-114752 04/30/2022 23:50:32 200 Block of NE GERTZ RD
May 1
22-114841 05/01/2022 01:56:44 5300 Block of SE RAMONA ST
22-114965 05/01/2022 05:47:18 8500 Block of SE STEELE ST
22-115262 05/01/2022 14:43:41 10600 Block of NE SIMPSON ST
22-115516 05/01/2022 20:54:06 9500 Block of NE WYGANT ST
22-115573 05/01/2022 21:58:36 4800 Block of NE 138TH AVE
May 2
22-116157 05/02/2022 13:05:48 6500 Block of SE 78TH AVE
22-116548 05/02/2022 21:24:32 8300 Block of SE BROOKLYN ST
May 3
22-116754 05/03/2022 03:38:05 NE 92ND AVE / NE EUGENE ST
22-117253 05/03/2022 15:40:02 NE 148TH AVE / NE SACRAMENTO ST
22-117355 05/03/2022 18:17:12 NE SKIDMORE ST / NE 92ND AVE
22-117503 05/03/2022 21:47:19 8300 Block of NE GOING ST
May 4
22-117703 05/04/2022 02:36:48 NE 92ND AVE / NE EUGENE ST
22-118187 05/04/2022 15:08:13 10200 Block of SE RAMONA ST
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
How much longer will these Weekly Shooting Reports continue? Until our people stop being murdered by vicious people using guns.
© 2022 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News ™
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