Early Tuesday morning, a quiet stretch of Southeast 122nd Avenue in Portland’s Hazelwood neighborhood turned into a homicide scene after an officer discovered a man lying in the road. The man was found just after 4 a.m. at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Southeast Pine Street, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Detectives quickly sealed off the area as a homicide investigation got underway.
Scene and Investigation
According to KPTV, the officer came across the man shortly after 4 a.m. and paramedics determined he had apparently been shot. Detectives from the Portland Police Bureau’s Homicide Unit responded and are leading the investigation. Southeast 122nd Avenue is currently closed between East Burnside Street and Southeast Ash Street while investigators document the scene and collect evidence.
Neighborhood Context
The Hazelwood neighborhood has been no stranger to gun violence in recent months, with multiple shootings drawing heavy police response. City data identify Hazelwood among the Portland neighborhoods with relatively high victimization rates. A City of Portland Ceasefire report highlights neighborhood-level trends, noting overall progress in reducing violence citywide while acknowledging that some communities, including parts of east Portland, continue to be disproportionately affected. Local leaders and public-safety officials have been focusing targeted interventions in these eastside areas as part of broader violence-reduction efforts.
Recent Incidents in Hazelwood
Earlier this spring, reporters tracked another high-profile incident in the same general part of Hazelwood that shut down East Burnside and temporarily halted MAX service while detectives worked the scene. Coverage of an overnight Hazelwood shooting and other reports have documented several separate shootings in the neighborhood over the past year, a pattern that has left residents and transit riders on edge. Those earlier cases similarly brought in homicide detectives and triggered extended road closures while evidence was processed.
How to Help
Police are asking anyone with information about Tuesday’s killing to email [email protected] and reference case number PP26-159439. As reported by KPTV, investigators had not released additional details as of early Tuesday morning. Detectives are urging witnesses, as well as anyone with video or other evidence, to come forward to help move the case forward.
The Portland Police Bureau has not yet released the victim’s name. The bureau typically notifies next of kin before making an identification public and posts updates when appropriate, according to a Portland Police Bureau press release.
