PORTLAND, Ore. – A 26-year-old man was shot and killed in North Portland Wednesday afternoon.
Laray William Seamster died of multiple gunshot wounds, the Oregon State Medical Examiner said.
Seamster was shot at around 3:15 p.m. near the intersection of North Vancouver Avenue and Fargo Street, near Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. His family and friends planned to hold a candlelight vigil at the intersection at 6 p.m. Thursday.
"It's a mother's nightmare," Seamster's mother, Erica West, said. "And there's nothing I could say or do. It's just empty right now. I'm empty."
Portland police said it was the 28th homicide of the year, and that at least nine of them remain unsolved. That number does not include three other officer-involved homicides.
Police estimated that there have been about 160 gang-related violent crimes in Portland this year, with the "overwhelming majority" involving shootings. Police reported two different shootings in Northeast Portland on Tuesday.
"I beg of you to put the guns down and stop killing each other," former state senator Margaret Carter said.
Trained volunteers and a nurse ran out to help Seamster after he was shot, according to Red Cross Cascades.
Gang enforcement detectives knew Seamster as a gang associate, according to police bureau spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson.
Witnesses told police that two younger black men were involved in the shooting. They ran away and possibly got into a silver vehicle, police said.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Simpson encouraged anyone with information that could help investigators to come forward.
To submit an anonymous tip:
- Text CRIMES (274637) - Type 823HELP, followed by the tip.
- Online at http://crimestoppersoforegon.com/submit_online_tip.php
- Call 503-823-HELP (4357)
- Visit http://www.tipsoft.com to download the TipSubmit app for the iPhone or Droid.
