Every day, Valerie McClure walks to the growing sidewalk memorial along Evans Street, arms full of fresh flowers for her 16-year-old son, Kobyn. He was killed in a Sandy shooting at the end of May, and his mother says he died stepping between a gunman and young children. She tells anyone who asks that her son will always be remembered as a protector: "He was a hero to this town, but he was my hero first."
McClure told KPTV that Kobyn loved country music, dreamed of becoming a mechanic and has been honored by friends and neighbors with custom T-shirts, hats and steady streams of visitors at the memorial site.
Suspect charged and court date
Prosecutors say 38-year-old Bryan Andrew Moore has been formally charged in the case. According to Clackamas County, Moore faces three counts of Murder in the First Degree, Attempted Aggravated Murder involving Sandy Police Sgt. Garrett Thornton and additional counts that include felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of first-degree kidnapping. Court records list the case as 26CR29414, and he is being held without bail.
Scene, standoff and officer injured
Law enforcement rushed to the 39500 block of Evans Street just before 4 p.m. on May 31 after reports of a domestic disturbance. Officers came under fire and shot back, according to OPB. Sandy Police Sgt. Garrett Thornton was hit multiple times and taken by LifeFlight to a hospital. Investigators say the suspect then barricaded himself inside a residence for hours while SWAT teams, armored vehicles and officers from neighboring agencies set up a perimeter and ordered nearby residents to shelter in place.
How Kobyn is being remembered
Neighbors have crowded the sidewalk on Evans Street with crosses, candles and handwritten notes, and a vigil drew family members and friends to mourn together. Local fundraisers and GoFundMe efforts are helping cover funeral costs, the Sandy Standard reports. Those who knew Kobyn have described him as a caring kid who loved to laugh and who was quick to step in when others needed help, a portrait that neighbors at the memorial have echoed again and again.
Legal status and investigation
A Clackamas County grand jury returned a 17-count indictment, and Moore was arraigned on June 8 on charges that include multiple counts of attempted aggravated murder for firing at officers, along with robbery and drug possession counts, according to KXL. The grand jury also found that officers' use of deadly physical force against Moore was justified under Oregon law, and the Clackamas Interagency Major Crimes Team is continuing to investigate the case.
Clackamas County officials and local leaders have urged anyone affected by the shooting to make use of available victim-support resources, noting that the county's news release lists hotlines and victim-assistance contacts for survivors of domestic violence. As the legal process moves forward, McClure's family and the broader Sandy community keep tending the memorial on Evans Street, holding on to the version of Kobyn they say is truest: a teenager defined by his courage.
