A feud between two cars full of people in Northeast Portland may have led to a suspected hit-and-run that killed an anti-fascist activist, a witness told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Sean Kealiher, 23, was struck by a Ford SUV before it crashed into the Democratic Party of Oregon headquarters just after midnight Saturday, according to police and multiple people who knew Kealiher.
Friends drove Kealiher to a hospital. He died of blunt force trauma, according to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner.
The driver of the Ford ditched the SUV at the scene and fled, authorities said. Police said they found the SUV riddled with bullet holes when they arrived.
The case has set off a stream of rumors on social media, but police have released few details about the circumstances of Kealiher’s death, including the whereabouts or identity of the SUV’s driver.
Kealiher’s family has declined to speak publicly about the case, and has asked others who knew the activist to do the same.
Darryl Perez, who lives less than a block from the site of the crash, said Monday that it appeared to him that the deadly encounter started with a road rage confrontation.
Perez said he was in his tent across from the Democratic headquarters, 232 Northeast Ninth Avenue, when he heard two cars speeding up Northeast Everett Street before coming to an abrupt stop near Ninth Avenue.
Perez said he heard people from both cars begin to argue, followed by the sound of a physical altercation.
“I heard someone say, ‘The best thing you can do right now is get back in your car and drive out of here because otherwise I’ll kill you,’” Perez recalled one of the people saying.
Perez said he then heard the sound of a collision. Four gunshots came next, he said.
That’s when he came out of his tent, Perez said, and saw an SUV stalled on the sidewalk in front of the Democratic headquarters. Nearby, two people stood over a bloody man on the ground, he said.
“The two dudes kept telling their friend to get up and walk, but he wasn’t moving,” Perez said.
The two people picked up the man, according to Perez, and started dragging him across the street, creating a trail of blood behind them.
The three eventually got into the car and drove off, Perez said. He said he could not identify the make and model of the car.
Perez, who has lived off the corner of Northeast Everett and Ninth for about two weeks, said he provided his account to police.
Kealiher, who was also known by the name Armenio Lewis, was a self-described anarchist and a leader in a tight-knit community of political activists. He had been at nearby Cider Riot, a popular pub and left-wing hangout, before the alleged hit-and-run.
Portland police asked anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Scott Broughton at 503-823-3774 or Scott.Broughton@portlandoregon.gov ) or Detective Rico Beniga at 503-823-0457 or Rico.Beniga@portlandoregon.gov.
