Two more outer East Portland shootings; one was near a park

The suspect in an Argay Terrace shooting and carjacking faces numerous Felony charges; But the shooter in an incident atop Rocky Butte has yet to be found …

Portland Police patrol officers, and members of their new Enhanced Community Safety Team, are called out to investigate more outer East Portland shootings.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

A victim is recovering from serious injuries after being shot on April 10 in the Argay Terrace Neighborhood, and a suspect is in custody after a carjacking and vehicle pursuit. But, another gunman who wounded two people at Rocky Butte on April 13 remains at large.

Shooting at Luuwit View Park in Argay Terrace

Officers keep watch near Luuwit View Park after a woman is shot – and a vehicle carjacked.

There were families enjoying a pleasant Saturday evening on April 10 in Luuwit View Park, when shots rang out and people dove for cover.

Portland Police Bureau (PPB) North Precinct were dispatched at 6:14 p.m. to the “Shooting – with Weapon” call near NE 127th Avenue and Fremont Street – at an entrance to the park.

Officers found a female adult victim with a possible gunshot wound, and arranged to have her taken to a local hospital by ambulance for what turned out to be non-life- threatening injuries.

As they investigated this incident, officers learned the shooting suspect had carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint from a driver parked at Luuwit View Park entrance. Additional officers working the incident located the stolen vehicle a mile to the northwest, near NE 118th Avenue and Prescott Street.

After the shooting and carjacking suspect runs off, this officer is on alert.

It wasn’t difficult to tell where the carjacker’s getaway ended – he drove the stolen vehicle through this fence, in the Parkrose neighborhood. PPB image

When the driver saw that the police had spotted him, he took off and sped away westbound on NE Prescott Street; officers were in pursuit. The chase didn’t last long; the suspect drove 1.3 miles, to be exact, before he crashed into a residential property fence in the Parkrose neighborhood, near 92^nd Avenue and Prescott Street – and then took off running.

When officers caught up to and cornered him at NE 90^th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard, he still didn’t give up. “He was uncooperative, and was struck with less-lethal sponge-tipped munitions, after which he surrendered and was detained,” a PPB spokesperson recounted.

Investigating detectives recovered this pistol from the crashed stolen vehicle. PPB image

PPB Special Victims Unit detectives booked 35-year-old Joseph Lee Rand into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) at 11:56 p.m. that evening on many, many charges:

Domestic Violence Attempted Murder in the First Degree,
Domestic Violence Kidnapping in the First Degree,
Domestic Violence Assault in the First Degree,
Domestic Violence Assault in the Second Degree,
Domestic Violence Assault in the Fourth Degree,
Domestic Violence Coercion,
Robbery in the First Degree,
Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle,
Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and
Attempt to Elude by Vehicle.

Although a judge “released” several of the Felony charges brought against 35-year-old Joseph Lee Rand in this incident, he remains in jail. MCDC booking photo

However, after Rand’s arraignment, a judge dropped the five Felony charges and one Misdemeanor charge against him: Domestic Violence, Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Attempt to Elude by Vehicle, Domestic Violence Assault in the Second Degree, Domestic Violence Assault in the Fourth Degree, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, and Domestic Violence Coercion.

However, Rand remains in custody at MCDC on the remaining charges, in lieu of $750,000 combined bail.

April 13: Rocky Butte shooting wounds two in Madison South

Up on NE Rocky Butte Road, officers investigate an early morning shooting that sent two to the hospital with wounds.

PPB officers were dispatched in the wee hours of April 13 to a “Shots Fired” call at 4:54 a.m. on NE Rocky Butte Road, near the Rocky Butte Natural Area viewpoint.

Officers did find “evidence of gunshots”, and recovered evidence from the crime scene – but found no victims or shooters in the area.

Apparently not wanting to be involved with law enforcement, two gunshot victims drove themselves to a hospital for treatment – where they were met by officers investigating the shooting.

As officers canvassed the area, dispatchers relayed to them that a local hospital had reported two people arrived there in a private vehicle, and appeared to have been shot.

Responding officers determined the call of “shots fired” was indeed related to the gunshot victims at the hospital. Enhanced Community Safety Team investigators went to the hospital and took over the investigation.

If anyone has information about this case, please reference Case No. 21-680633 and e-mail crimetips@portlandoregon.gov.

The number of criminal shooting incidents, and the number of wounded, keeps trending upward.

Shootings scorecard
To date there have been almost 300 shooting incidents in the City of Portland in 2021, with approximately 94 people injured by gunfire.

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