PORTLAND, Ore. — A jury has found a woman guilty for firing shots into the ceiling of the terminal of Portland International Airport (PDX) a year ago, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday.
On Nov. 21, the jury found 48-year-old Laura Patterson guilty on six charges including unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, possession of a loaded firearm in public and recklessly endangering another person. The verdict came after a trial that lasted about four days, between Nov. 18 and Nov. 21.
Port of Portland Police responded on Nov. 14, 2023 to gun shots in the pre-security area for the D and E concourse checkpoint. Witnesses reported that a woman, identified as Patterson, fired two rounds into the ceiling with a handgun before placing it on the ground. Officers took her into custody. She admitted to the shooting, and told officers and detectives that she shot at the ceiling and the lights. One bullet hit a glass window of the ceiling, causing $7,900 worth of damage.
Patterson drove from her home in Kennewick, Washington to the airport. Surveillance video showed her sit for hours in front of the ticket counters near the checkpoint before the shooting, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said. Patterson told detectives that she fired her gun so that someone would stop her from killing family members who live out of state, though she denied intending to fly out from PDX.
She was found in possession of 100 additional rounds of ammunition for the firearm, her passport, changes of clothing, camping gear, multiple expired driver's licenses from different states and several sets of license plates from different states registered to her.
Patterson will remain in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 19, 2024.
