PORTLAND — Six months after a man was shot and killed while getting drinks with friends in Portland, a suspect has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Marshawn Edwards, 25, was arrested in Fairview, Oregon, on Monday by the United States Marshals Service who obtained an arrest warrant, according to a press release from the Portland Police Bureau.
Edwards is currently booked in the Multnomah County Detention Center and faces charges of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
During the fatal September shooting, it was nearly last call on a Friday when Jacob Eli Knight Vasquez went to get a drink across the street from the tavern where he worked in northwest Portland.
The 34-year-old had been at the pizza bar only a short time when shots rang out. Vasquez was struck by a stray bullet and died at the scene. Two others were injured.
Sam Macbale, the owner of Silver Dollar Pizza, told KOIN 6 News the suspect was not inside and was not a customer when the shooting occurred.
“There was no fight or argument inside the place,” Macbale said in September. “It was completely out of the blue.”
However, police reported they did not believe this was a random act where “somebody walked by and started shooting,” although they also said they didn’t believe Vasquez was the intended target.
Vasquez’s death was one of the 90 homicides in Portland last year — shattering the city’s previous high of 66 set in 1987.
During Portland’s record year of slayings, the city surpassed more populous cities such as San Francisco and Boston — and more than double the number of slayings in its larger Pacific Northwest neighbor Seattle.
Killings have been on the rise in Portland for the past few years. From 2019 to 2020, Portland had a sharper rise in killings — an 83% increase — than nearly all major cities. Nationally, homicides had increased by nearly 30% in the same time, based on FBI data.
City police and officials say last year’s increase — which disproportionally impacted Portland’s Black community — was fueled by gang-related arguments, drug deals gone awry and disputes among homeless people. In addition, the situation was exacerbated by the pandemic, economic hardships and mental health crises.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports that there have been 25 homicides so far this year and is on track to outpace last year’s record.
