A man has been slapped with attempted murder and assault charges following a shooting incident near a strip club in the Northwest District neighborhood. Gabriel D. Hutchings, 27, of Portland, couldn't keep his cool outside the adult venue, resulting in a violent bout that escalated dramatically.
In the early hours of February 16, cops were called to a shooting in the 2400 block of Northwest 24th Avenue. Upon arrival, they discovered that a woman, reportedly an employee of the strip joint, had already been whisked away by taxi to a hospital with an injury deemed not life-threatening, as stated in a Portland Police Bureau release.
Law enforcement officers managed to get a bead on a suspect's description and spotted him trying to make a getaway. They pulled him over at the corner of Northwest 25th Avenue and Northwest Raleigh Street, where he was detained and a handgun was plucked as evidence.
Investigations by the Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) paint a picture of a night turned sour. Hutchings allegedly got into a scrap with another man outside of the establishment. After the scuffle, the suspect was helped to his car by the man and a companion, only for Hutchings to draw a firearm and let off shots as they bolted. Despite the chaos, no 911 calls were made about the shooting. The suspect then lashed out again, shooting towards the club and hitting the employee as she exited to catch her ride home.
Hauled off to Multnomah County Dentention Center, Hutchings is looking down the barrel of several charges including Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (2 counts), Assault in the Second Degree, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon (2 counts), according to the official police statement.
