PORTLAND, Ore. — A man who was shot while driving in a busy area of Northeast Portland earlier this month died five days later in the hospital, the Portland Police Bureau revealed Saturday.
According to the agency, a North Precinct officer was headed to another call just before 5:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, when he was flagged down for a crash at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Northeast Columbia Boulevard.
At the scene, police found that 38-year-old Anthony Dwayne Bell had been driving when he was shot, causing the crash. Emergency crews took Bell to the hospital with "serious injuries," although an initial statement from PPB said that they were not expected to be life-threatening. He was conscious and talking when police arrived.
PPB's Enhanced Community Safety Team, one of two gun violence teams in the city, responded to investigate. Their initial investigation determined that Bell was driving when someone in another vehicle opened fire, hitting Bell. The suspect or suspects left the scene before police arrived, and officers made no immediate arrests.
In their initial release, PPB said that there was a passenger in Bell's vehicle who was taken to the hospital as a precaution after their airbag deployed, but was otherwise unhurt.
On Wednesday, five days after the shooting, Bell died at the hospital. The county medical examiner confirmed that the man's death was a homicide, caused by his gunshot wounds. PPB said that his family was notified of his death.
The case has since been transferred to PPB's homicide unit. The agency said there are no suspect descriptions available for release.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective J.D. McGuire at jeff.mcguire@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-2081, or Detective Charlie Asheim, Charles.Asheim@police.portlandoregon.gov, and reference case number 24-254562.
