PORTLAND, Ore. — The longtime Radio Cab driver who was fatally stabbed by a passenger Sunday night in Southeast Portland has been identified as 43-year-old Reese McDowell Lawhon, according to a Tuesday news release from the Portland Police Bureau.
PPB previously said a suspect, 30-year-old Moses Lopez, was taken into custody and booked into the Multnomah County jail. He faces charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to court documents, Lopez already had a warrant out for his arrest from Coos County for allegedly threatening two men with weapons last Monday. He was charged and released, but never showed up for his Thursday court appearance — ultimately making his way to Portland.
Officers responded to a reported stabbing around 6:40 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of Southeast Washington Street and Water Avenue, finding the victim dead at the scene.
A probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court includes additional details about the sequence of events.
An AMR ambulance was driving down Southeast Waster Avenue at about 6:40 p.m. when the driver noticed a Radio Cab stopped in the middle traffic lane with a person slumped over the steering wheel.
The AMR crew got out of the ambulance and saw a person, later identified as Lopez, getting out of the cab. He appeared to have blood on his clothes and dropped what looked like a set of brass knuckles with an attached blade. He was treated for a cut on his finger and remained in the ambulance.
AMR staff examined the driver of the Radio Cab and found he had no pulse. An autopsy performed on Monday confirmed that the victim had two apparent knife wounds to the neck and died from stab wounds, according to the affidavit.
Police reviewed surveillance video from inside the cab. As described by the affidavit, the footage shows the driver picked up Lopez and confirmed his destination, but Lopez appeared to inadvertently give the wrong address.
When the cab arrived, Lopez provided a different address, and then when the cab was on the way to the new address, Lopez moved quickly toward the driver and appeared to stab him in the neck.
The affidavit is included below. Lopez's first name is misspelled in one instance in the document.
After police identified Lawhon on Tuesday, the man's family released a statement which read, in part:
"Reese was the most caring, witty, loving son, brother, uncle and dear friend you could possibly imagine having. He had the best gift of making people laugh and smile, and his attention was constantly fought over by his six very young nieces and nephews with whom he could never get enough of.
"Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, his immediate family consists of two amazing parents and two younger sisters while his extended family is full of the tightest knit group of longtime friends that gather regularly in Portland to celebrate each other. Both families are in extreme grievance at this time."
Radio Cab didn't initially report Lawhon's name, but released the following statement about him:
"He was a kind and dedicated cab operator. He had been driving over a decade and never had a complaint. He cared about Portland and loved this city and especially loved helping people get from one place to another. He was a model driver and an exemplary example of the people who have kept Radio Cab as a vibrant and desired place to work."
“I think everyone is kind of still reeling and trying to process what happened,” said Darin Campbell, a former cab driver who's now director of marketing at Radio Cab. “I think drivers are going to be far more aware of who's in their backseat and what’s going on because this absolutely came out of nowhere. It was completely unprovoked, he never saw it coming.”
Campbell told KGW that the security camera inside of the taxi cab captured the entire gruesome attack.
“It did not leave anything out," said Campbell. "And as disturbing as it was to watch, it is amazing evidence."
Other Radio Cab drivers are on edge after hearing the news.
“It’s getting rougher and rougher out there, driving around,” said Justin Byington, a Radio Cab driver since 2014. “It’s always surprising, but it’s not unheard of. I mean, it has been a long time since thing kind of thing has happened to this extent, though, where someone actually passes away.”
In its news release, Radio Cab said the driver's death "is a sure sign that Portland is in need of serious help."
Campbell told KGW that the victim recently found his biological parents and was making plans to meet them in person for the very first time.
"While our company is in mourning trying to make sense of this difficult loss, we ask our city leaders to do more to allow police to enforce laws, bolster the Portland Police Bureau resources and focus on the health of our citizens," the company said.
Police said they're not seeking any additional suspects.
PPB homicide detectives will be investigating this incident. Anyone who has information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective Shaye Samora at shaye.samora@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0768 or Detective Tony Harris at tony.harris@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0441. Please refer to case number 23-91797.
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