An 18-year-old has been charged in juvenile court in connection with the June 4, 2024, shooting that killed Portland rideshare driver Joshua Kelvin and left his teenage passenger critically wounded. Prosecutors filed a second-degree murder count along with nine additional charges tied to the case, police say. Kelvin, 42, was shot while driving for a rideshare service in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood.
Charges filed in juvenile court
According to KGW, prosecutors on Monday charged the now-18-year-old with second-degree murder and nine other counts. Officials are withholding the suspect's name because he was a minor at the time of the shooting. Court documents and police statements say the charges stem from what investigators describe as multiple rounds fired into the vehicle.
The 2024 shooting and investigation
Portland Police say the attack happened just before midnight on June 4, 2024, in a cul-de-sac off Southeast 130th Place. Kelvin was pronounced dead at the scene and his 17-year-old passenger suffered life-threatening injuries, as reported by KPTV. Investigators later appealed for tips, and Crime Stoppers of Oregon offered a reward for information, per Crime Stoppers. Hoodline's earlier coverage, Rideshare Driver Fatally Shot, ran in June 2024.
Family presses for safety reforms
Kelvin's widow, Kelly Kelvin, has publicly urged changes to protect rideshare drivers and pressed officials for new safety rules. "You took my husband, my kids' father," she said, according to KPTV. The family and driver-safety advocates have pushed for measures including in-car cameras, stricter passenger ID checks and limits on unaccompanied minors.
How juvenile proceedings may unfold
Because the suspect was under 18 at the time, the case is proceeding in juvenile court, where records and dispositional options differ from adult criminal court. Under Oregon law, juvenile courts can hold waiver hearings to transfer youth to adult court for certain serious offenses. Those procedures are outlined in the Oregon Revised Statutes.
Next steps
The juvenile court will schedule hearings and filings as the case moves forward, and prosecutors may seek a transfer to adult court under applicable statutes, as reported by KGW. Portland Police continue to ask anyone with information about the June 2024 shooting to contact detectives or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers, the release says.
