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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 11, 2014)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM J UNE 11, 2014 P ORTLAND AND S EATTLE V OLUME XXXVI, N O . 36 For The Skanner website scan this QR code CENTS Pacific NW The Skanner News presents our new regional edition, featuring more news and local information. C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Gun Violence Strikes 25 INNOCENT Multiple unrelated incidents prompt question: Why? Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News See SHOOTINGS on page 3 INDEX News ..............1,3,8-10 Opinion .....................2 Calendars ..............4,5 A & E ......................6,7 Bids/Classifieds ........11 PHOTO CREDIT IOREGON INNOCENCE PROJECT F atal shootings from Seattle to Portland rocked the Pacific Northwest over the past week, leaving diverse communi- ties calling for prayer — and policy — to address gun violence. First, a double fatal shooting early Sunday morning in the Leschi neighborhood claimed the lives of Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23. Police said the murders were not gang-related, the victims had no criminal history, but at least one was known to be gay. Matalepuna Malu, 26, a native of Samoa, turned himself in and has been arrested in the case. On Thursday, a mass shooting at Seattle Pacific University took the life of one stu- dent, and wounded two others. Prosecutors say the gunman, Aaron Ybarra, 26, had stopped taking medication for a mental health condition before brandishing a rifle and taking the life of Portland native Paul Lee, 19. He’s been charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. In a third unrelated incident in Seattle, police say 30 shots were fired in the Interna- tional District early Saturday morning, killing 27-year-old Mohammad Osman and wounding several others. There are no sus- pects. In Kennewick Washington,16-year-old Kaitlin Deborah Chavallo and her 12 year old stepbrother Ethan Andrew Austin were found dead in their home Monday with mul- tiple gunshot wounds; police are still investigating that case and have not identi- fied the shooter. Also Monday, husband and wife were found dead in their Vancouver, Wash. home; their 23-year-old son was also shot but is expected to live, However the family dog was also shot to death. Police there say the husband, Danny Lee Luster, had been out of work and was despondent. Lisa Roberts celebrated her release from prison May 28, with Steven Wax, legal director for the Oregon Innocence Project. Roberts served nearly twelve years for a crime she did not commit. She pled guilty to the murder of her girlfriend, Jerri Lee Williams, in 2004, after her lawyer advised her she could not hope to win in court. U.S. District Judge Malcolm Marsh found that new DNA evidence and Roberts’ legal team’s investigation showed she was innocent. Roberts is the 9th person to be exonerated in Oregon. Gang Group Hears from Victims Police recorded 52 incidents of violence, up from 2013 figures By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News T wo mothers who lost their sons in gang shoot- ings appealed for witnesses to come forward and help solve those crimes. Brenda Davis and Lucy Mashia spoke at Portland’s gang task force meet- ing, Friday a.m. in the North Portland precinct. “My son Terry Norris was murdered in 1999, but it feels to me like yesterday,” Davis said. “Every day I wait, hope and pray I will get that call to say they have solved the case. I know it’s not going to bring my baby back to me, but at least it will me some peace of mind.” Norris left his home after get- ting a late night phone call, on Oct. 13, 1999. He was found by police responding to reports of gunfire at around 4 a.m. at Peninsula Park. Norris was found dead in his car in the 6200 block of North Kirby Avenue. Davis said every time she hears a siren or learns about a shooting, she thinks about the heartache another family will have to bear. And she wants the madness to stop. Antoinette Edwards, director of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention, said the killings of Terrence Norris and Mashia’s son, Leonard Irving were just two of 53 unsolved gang homicides. “That’s unacceptable to me,” she said, calling on the commu- nity to reject the idea that bringing killers to justice is “snitching.” “It’s not a police problem; it’s a community problem,” Edwards said, and reframed the word snitch as “Somebody Needs Information That can Help.” Also in the room were other relatives of victims including Ronisha Harris, sister of Duriel Harris, shot outside the Fontain- bleau nightclub in November 2013; and Teressa Raiford, aunt of Andre Payton, shot outside a downtown club in September 2010. Both those cases also See GANG on page 3 Veterans Affairs Audit Finds Long Waits Nine facilities in Oregon and Washington face federal investigations Lisa Loving Of The Skanner News A n audit on access to medical care by the US Department of Veterans Affairs shows many veterans are suffering from a lack of timely care, and an unknown number have likely died while on the waiting list. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki last month resigned over reports of VA staff falsifying records to hide the problem, which is also expected to impact Democrat- ic candidates seeking re-election. The audit says that as of May, more than 63,000 veterans over the past 10 years who are enrolled in the healthcare system have never had an appointment; almost 58,000 veterans are currently waiting to be sched- uled for care. Oregon’s Portland and Roseburg VA cen- ters posted some of the longest waits for medical care in the country. “I am appalled by today’s report that falsi- fied records forced more than 6,600 Oregon veterans to endure unconscionable waiting times to receive the care they’ve earned,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden. “Those who See VA on page 3
