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Family of man shot and killed in Southeast Portland holds out hope for justice

Portland police said Johnny Polanco, 30, was shot and killed at Southeast 92nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard on Aug. 20.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The family of Johnny Polanco is still grieving after he was gunned down near Lents Park in Southeast Portland last August, marking the city's 60th homicide of the year. 

They want police to catch the man suspected of shooting and killing him. 

On Friday, loved ones gathered at a memorial site that was placed near the park where Polanco was murdered. The family told KGW they want people to remember him as a brother, father, fiancé and friend to those who knew him. 

"His heart was full of laughter and joy," his fiancée KD Milone said. 

Polanco, 30, was shot and killed in a convenience store parking lot on Southeast 92nd Avenue and Holgate Boulevard on Aug. 20. 

Credit: Portland Police Bureau
Portland police are seeking information on the location of murder suspect Leonard Edwards.

Portland police identified two suspects in Polanco's murder: 18-year-old Leonard Edwards and 19-year-old Deshondra Rayford. Police said Rayford turned herself in but Edwards remains on the run.

RELATED: Victim identified in Portland shooting near Lents Park

"Seventy-six days. Every day I wake up and I don't even know what day it is because it is just another day," said Milone "Seventy-six days that I don't have a world anymore. I'm lost."

Polanco was also a father to a little girl. 

"My 6-year-old daughter's life is shattered," said a woman named Alex, the mother of his child. "Her daddy did not take her to the first day of school this year, did not take her trick-or-treating."

More than 70 people have been killed so far during a historically violent year in Portland.  

"I refuse to let him go as a statistic," Polanco's brother Rob told KGW back in August. 

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Det. Jennifer Hertzler at jennifer.hertzler@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-1040 or Det. Joseph Corona at joseph.corona@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0508. Please reference case No. 21-231670.

RELATED: Police seek tips on location of suspect linked to August murder near Lents Park in SE Portland

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