(PORTLAND, Ore.) Hello Portlanders! It's Wednesday, March 29 - Here's your daily round up of all the news happening in the City of Roses.
1. Two Portland high school students identified as victims in weekend shooting
Two of the three victims in a deadly Saturday afternoon shooting in the Portsmouth neighborhood were students at Portland high schools, according to statements from Portland Public Schools. Eskender Tamra, a 17-year-old junior at Franklin High School, and Isaac Daudi, a 19-year-old senior at Roosevelt High School, were the two victims identified by school officials. Portland police identified the third victim as 20-year-old Patrick D. Johnson.
In a letter to families of Franklin High School, Eskender was described as “a quiet, reserved and respectful individual, whose smile and laugh could brighten any room.” In a separate letter to Roosevelt families, Daudi was likewise described as “quiet, reserved and respectful.” Daudi’s family and friends have created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses.
The shooting occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday near the intersection of North Foss Avenue and North Foss Court. In an update later that day, Portland police said the three victims were in a car and died at the scene. No arrests have been made.
The shooting is the deadliest one so far this year in Portland. It marks the 15th, 16th and 17th suspected homicides in the city.
2. Woman sues Portland behavioral facility after attack by recently discharged patient
A woman is suing the Unity Center for Behavioral Health after investigators say a man hit her with a large rock after he had just been released from the facility in August 2022. Sonya Gonzales had just finished work and was waiting for her ride when her attorneys say she was suddenly attacked by a man wearing scrubs outside the behavioral health facility.
The lawsuit says Dwayne Simpson had multiple violent mental health episodes in the weeks leading up to the attack. In one case law enforcement alleged he threatened to assault a woman and “bash her skull in.”
According to the suit, he was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital, but was discharged less than a hour later. Weeks later on Aug. 9, Simpson was in another violent mental health crisis when he was seen as a patient at the Unity Center. The suit alleges he “posed a danger of violence to others” but was discharged anyway. Gonzales was attacked outside the facility shortly after.
“She was attacked without warning, unexpectedly, but someone she had no connection to,” Peter Janci, Gonzales’ attorney, said. “[She] has suffered significant physical and emotional, psychological injuries because of that attack. It’s been a long road for her. Being hit in the head with a 35-pound rock is something that could end the life of many people.”
3. Oregon distributing more SNAP food assistance for thousands of kids
The Oregon Department of Human Services will send out $391 food benefit cards to thousands of families across the state this spring. The electronic benefit transfer cards are for children who were eligible for free or reduced lunch in the 2021-2022 school year, or were under the age of 6 and enrolled in SNAP in summer 2022.
Across Oregon, 434,000 children will receive the benefits, totaling $170 million. Eligible children will receive a letter in the mail between now and May, notifying them of their eligibility, followed by an envelope with their P-EBT card.
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