PORTLAND, Ore. — In Southeast Portland Thursday night, Crystal Major built a small memorial to honor her brother on what would have been his 32nd birthday.
"He was funny," Crystal said. "He was a jokester. He was caring. He gave to everybody."
It makes what happened on Nov. 7, 2020, all the more awful. Harold Major was shot and killed not far from the corner of Southeast 33rd and Powell where he was living in a tent. Detectives believe Harold was the victim of a drive-by shooting that he was in no way connected to.
"He wasn't the target so it's another life gone for nothing," Crystal said.
The shooting that took Harold's life was one of 891 shootings in Portland in 2020. Unfortunately the gunfire has not stopped. It is only getting worse. With more than three months to go in 2021, there have already been more than 870 shootings in Portland.
One of the most recent was Thursday afternoon near Northeast 82nd and Sandy. A 15-year-old boy and an adult were injured. They are expected to survive.
"Nobody's taking the time to understand we need to come together as a community and stop this before it gets even worse," Crystal said.
That is for another day. Thursday evening was about Harold. He is missed more than words can describe. Crystal says not much will bring her peace, though tracking down the shooter would certainly be a start.
"From the beginning I told myself if they found who did it I'd forgive them and the reason why is because Harold would've forgave them," she said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to 2,500 for information that leads to Harold's killer. Tipsters can remain anonymous.