PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police revealed on Tuesday that the person killed in a weekend crash and shooting in the Mill Park neighborhood was a child, adding that a driver has been charged with manslaughter in the case.
Officers responded just after 10:15 p.m. on Saturday to reports of a crash at Southeast 102nd Avenue and Southeast Washington Street. They arrived to find two crashed vehicles, one of which had rolled over.
The driver for one of the vehicles, identified Tuesday as 29-year-old Duprie Smith, had suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital for treatment. After being released from the hospital, Smith was booked into Multnomah County jail and has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving.
Information from court documents and Duprie Smith's first appearance on Monday reveal more about what led up to the crash. Through his attorney, Smith claimed that he'd been attending a funeral for his brother when someone started shooting into the crowd, hitting him three times. When an ambulance didn't arrive fast enough, Smith's attorney said, he got in his car because he believed he was "bleeding out."
According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, the dash cam in Smith's vehicle captured what happened next.
"Defendant can be seen entering his vehicle, and driving erratically, making statements such as 'where is the hospital' and 'I am going to die,'" the affidavit reads.
The dash cam allegedly showed Smith speeding and weaving through traffic, repeatedly running red lights, before slamming into the sedan carrying 11-year-old Ryan Ambrose as it went through an intersection. Ambrose was sitting in the driver-side back seat, and the car was being driven by a family member.
Data gathered from Smith's vehicle, the affidavit says, showed him going 86 mph just three seconds before the crash. One second before the crash he seemingly slammed on his brakes, slowing to 72 mph. The speed limit was 30 mph.
"Notably, Defendant was traveling at such a high rate of speed that after the impact at SE Stark, his vehicle flipped over and still traveled an entire city block, coming to rest at SE Washington," the affidavit says.
Ryan Ambrose suffered serious, life-threatening injures in the crash, and a witness tried performing CPR at the scene. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The force of impact threw Smith from his vehicle, the affidavit adds, but he was "seemingly fine" other than the gunshot wounds to his arm and leg. After being taken to the hospital for treatment, he was discharged early the next day.
The affidavit claims that Smith was tested at the hospital and had a blood alcohol content of 0.116. The legal blood alcohol drinking limit in Oregon is .08.
During Monday's arraignment, the judge granted Smith conditional release under "high-risk DUII intensive supervision." He was barred from driving a car or drinking, the latter enforced by a blood alcohol ankle monitor. He'll also have to participate in drug and alcohol treatment.
Portland police said that Ambrose's death was the 34th crash-related fatality in the city so far this year and the sixth within the preceding 16 days.
Anyone with more information about the shooting or crash is asked to email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 23-179745.