What started as a simple key toss out a second-floor window ended with a man bleeding from a gunshot wound and a married couple in handcuffs after a multi-day search through Portland.
What Happened
Just after 4 a.m. Sunday, Portland Police Bureau officers responded to reports of gunfire at an apartment complex on North Willis Boulevard in the Kenton neighborhood. When they arrived, they found a man at a second-floor window with a gunshot wound to his arm, bleeding heavily.
The victim told investigators he had been leaning out of his apartment window to throw a key down to a friend on the sidewalk when he was shot. Officers applied a tourniquet at the scene, and medics rushed him to a hospital, where he is expected to recover.
Detectives identified 35-year-old Tony McDonald as a suspect and said he had been living illegally in a vacant unit at the complex, according to FOX 12. Neighbors had called police after the gunfire, and authorities launched a search for McDonald that stretched over several days.
On Wednesday evening, officers finally spotted McDonald near Northwest 6th Avenue and Northwest Flanders Street, walking with his wife, police said. Because officers believed he might be armed, tactical units were called in for the arrest. Despite the heavy show of force, both were detained without incident and taken into custody, then booked into the county jail.
Arrests And Charges
Tony McDonald was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on a stack of allegations that included second-degree murder, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to police. Authorities also noted he was already wanted on other active arrest warrants.
His wife, 45-year-old Lavon McDonald, was charged with possessing ammunition as a felon after officers said they found her carrying a loaded handgun magazine, as reported by FOX 12. Both were processed at the county jail while they await formal charges from prosecutors.
What The Charges Mean
The counts listed in the booking documents, if proven in court, carry significant prison time and will be handled in Multnomah County Circuit Court. Under Oregon law, people convicted of felonies are generally barred from possessing firearms or ammunition, and being a felon in possession can itself be charged as a separate felony, according to the Oregon Legislature. Prosecutors will decide which charges to formally pursue as detectives continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses.
What's Next
Portland police say the investigation is still active and have not released any information about a possible motive in the shooting. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is holding Tony and Lavon McDonald pending arraignment.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the bureau through the Portland Police Bureau.
