PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police arrested a man on Monday in connection with a Hollywood neighborhood shooting that left two men dead in late June, according to a statement from the agency. Bennett Miller, 24, faces two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges.
The shooting happened shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Friday, June 23. Portland police officers were in the area of Northeast Sandy Boulevard and Northeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard when they heard the sounds of gunfire nearby. A short time later, the officers found a vehicle that had crashed into a pole near Northeast Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez.
Inside the vehicle were two men, both of whom had suffered gunshot wounds. The driver, later identified as 29-year-old Fortressen O. Oriakhi of Gresham, was dead. The passenger had life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
The Portland Police Bureau said that no suspects were located at the scene and there were no immediate arrests. Homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate.
A week later, PPB said, detectives learned that the passenger had died in the hospital. They identified the man as Isidahomen Ikhuoria, 25, of Lagos, Nigeria.
On Monday, PPB homicide detectives were joined by the city's Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), crisis negotiators and members of the U.S. Marshal's Service Fugitive Task Force in making an arrest in the case. They found Bennett Miller in the Mount Tabor neighborhood.
Miller has been booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of first-degree murder and one count each of unlawful use of a weapon and delivery of a controlled substance for cocaine.
Anyone with information regarding Miller’s involvement in these homicides is asked to contact Detective Travis Law at travis.law@police.portlandoregon.gov or (503)823-0395. Secure and anonymous tips can be submitted at the Crime Stoppers website or by visiting the app store and downloading "P3 Tips" for smart phones or tablets.
