PORTLAND, Ore. — One of two people shot at North Portland's Dawson Park in July has died of his injuries, the Portland Police Bureau revealed Wednesday.
Ronald Davis, 66, died Saturday of complications from gunshot wounds he suffered in the July 19 shooting, PPB said. His family has been notified of his death, and provided the agency with a photo for release to the public.
The shooting happened shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday, July 19. Officers arrived to find a gunshot victim at the scene who was taken to the hospital, and another victim arrived at the hospital on their own. At the time, PPB said both were expected to survive.
Both of the Portland Police Bureau's gun violence teams responded to investigate the Dawson Park shooting, finding evidence that a driver pulled up to the park and at least one person opened fire. Investigators found more than 70 shell casings at the scene.
No suspects were found at the scene, and PPB has yet to identify any suspects in the case.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said later that investigators had recovered guns believed to have been used in the shooting, connected to a separate shooting near Northeast 82nd and Sandy Boulevard. While he said police are still searching for suspects in the July 19 shooting, they did arrest three people for the second shooting.
Dawson Park has been a frequent hotspot for gun violence coming out of COVID-19 pandemic. However, up until the July 19 shooting, that trend appeared to be on the downswing, matching an overall decline in the rate of shootings and homicides in Portland.
In late July, community leaders gathered in Dawson Park — and not for the first time — to discuss both their concerns and efforts to address gun violence in Portland, underlining that those efforts are still very much a work in progress.
PPB's homicide unit is still investigating the July 19 shooting. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Travis Law at travis.law@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0395, or Detective Ryan Foote at ryan.foote@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0781, and reference case number 24-180382.
