PORTLAND, Ore — After being moved from the hospital to jail in downtown Portland, 43-year-old Benjamin Smith went before a judge for the first time on Thursday, facing very serious charges connected to a mass shooting in Portland.
Smith appeared via video and sitting in a wheelchair. He's facing a nine-count indictment that includes second-degree murder and attempted murder charges.
The Portland resident is accused of opening fire on a group of people gathered for a protest and march at Normandale Park in northeast Portland on February 19. Witnesses say Smith came from his nearby apartment that night and started harassing people at the gathering, yelling at them to leave. People responded by telling him to leave them alone, and go home.
In court documents, investigators said that Smith "continues to yell at participants and a few moments later, draws a handgun and fires at multiple people, striking five." The affidavit goes on to say that "the shooting ended when [Smith] was shot in the hip area."
June Knightly, age 60, was there to help with traffic control for the march. She was shot in the head at close range, and died at the scene, according to court documents. The four other victims were taken to the hospital, as was the injured Smith.
KGW visited Normandale park on Thursday, where there is a memorial set up for Knightly. A young women came to light some candles, saying she was one of the injured shooting victims. She was not up to sharing her thoughts in an interview.
A woman who lives near the park did agree to speak with KGW. She did not want to be identified, but she described what the shooting has done to those living in the area.
“It's just set up a new fear in the whole neighborhood, and it's a shame because of one person causing all this chaos and killing people," the neighbor said.
The woman was also interested to see what Benjamin Smith looked like, to determine if she'd ever run into him before.
After Thursday's court proceeding, those connected to the victims in the case got some questions answered by a jail deputy. Not all could be there, including one of the shooting victims, who was shot in the neck and reportedly remains paralyzed by the injury.
Smith entered an initial not guilty plea in court on Thursday. The judge did not set bail — the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has requested that Smith be held without bail through his trial. Smith's next court appearance is scheduled for May 5.