PORTLAND, Ore. — A 33-year-old man was killed in a shooting just before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Northeast Portland. It happened in the Parkrose neighborhood, near Northeast Sandy and 118th Avenue.
Portland police on Thursday identified the victim as Jalon M. Yoakum of Portland. He is now the 30th homicide victim in Portland this year. Nearly half of those deaths have involved a gun. During the same time period in 2020, there were just three homicides.
Along with Portland police, FBI agents were out on the scene investigating.
As part of Portland's plan to combat a historic rise in shootings this year, the FBI is being brought in to take the lead on gun violence investigations.
They're working with federally-deputized officers, deputies and supervisors from a number of local agencies, via a partnership called the Metro Safe Streets Task Force.
The idea is for local law enforcement agencies to coordinate investigations across federal and state systems and have access to resources like federal forensic testing and analysis, vehicles, police radios and computers. Agencies will also receive funding for overtime costs not currently funded by local agencies.
Portland police Lt. Greg Pashley has said homicide detectives are buried under cases.
"It was very rare for us to have two in a week, much less two in a night in Portland, as part of the circumstances we're living in right now, unfortunately," Pashley said on the scene of a shooting investigation earlier this year.
Anyone with information about the Wednesday Parkrose shooting should contact Det. Jason Koenig at Jason.Koenig@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0889 or Det. William Winters at William.Winters@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0466.