PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police believe the suspect they shot and killed on I-5 on Monday committed multiple crimes in the hours leading up to an attempted carjacking on the interstate, in which police said the suspect shot a driver. Officers are asking anyone with information to contact detectives.
The driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Police subsequently shot and killed the suspect, prompting a lengthy freeway closure that lasted more than 7 hours. A press release on Tuesday morning identified John Hughes as the officer who shot the suspect.
The suspect has not yet been identified.
Josiah Francis, who runs a coffee shop in downtown Portland called Foxy Coffee near West Burnside Street, told KGW he thinks he was a victim in one of the suspect’s earlier crimes.
He said he was working at the shop Monday morning when a man walked up to the side door. Francis told the man to come to the front and the man then pointed a gun at him and demanded his keys. Francis said he told the man he didn’t have keys.
“He pointed his gun like ‘I’m not f--- with you!’ and I was like ‘I don’t know man!’ and he just walked off from there,” Francis said.
Francis said police told him the incident was connected to the I-5 shooting and that the man tried to rob someone else immediately after leaving the coffee shop and subsequently carjacked an older man and drove off. Police declined to comment when KGW asked for confirmation.
The Oregonian reported on Monday that a man broke into a home near Beverly Cleary School in Northeast Portland a short time later and stole a car. There were also reports of shots fired near the Hyatt Regency hotel in the Lloyd District.
PPB Chief Chuck Lovell issued a statement Tuesday afternoon stating that the suspect “began a series of dangerous acts of violence toward members of our community” leading up to the I-5 shooting, but the statement did not list any of the other alleged crimes.
“Our Detectives are still seeking anyone who has information about the actions of this suspect prior to the shooting, or witnesses to the shooting, to come forward as we piece together a detailed timeline,” he said. “While we understand members of the community are shocked and saddened by what occurred yesterday, we must balance the need for transparency with the responsibility to provide accurate information, while protecting the integrity of the investigation.”