A 59-year-old man is facing attempted murder and first-degree assault charges after allegedly stabbing another man during a confrontation in southwest Portland Friday morning. Police found the victim suffering from stab wounds near Southwest Clay Street and Southwest 12th Avenue and took him to a hospital, where he is expected to survive.
Portland Police Bureau officers responded to the 1200 block of SW Clay Street at 10 a.m. Friday after a report of an assault, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The victim told police an unknown man had stabbed him following a confrontation, as reported by KPTV. Officers located the suspect, identified as Russell Szkolnyj, near SW 20th Avenue and SW Jefferson Street in the Goose Hollow neighborhood.
Szkolnyj was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, where he now faces charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon, the station's report notes. A conviction for first-degree assault carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 90 months — 7.5 years — in state prison with no possibility of early release under Oregon's Ballot Measure 11, according to Kovacic Law. Oregon Revised Statute 163.185 classifies first-degree assault as a Class A felony carrying that same sentencing floor, per Rogue Defender Law.
Friday's stabbing adds to a run of violent incidents that have drawn police to the border of downtown Portland and Goose Hollow throughout 2026. Hoodline reported earlier this month on an unprovoked metal pipe attack near Providence Park that led to felony assault charges against a 36-year-old man. In May, the neighborhood was also the site of a fatal fire after a driver crashed a vehicle containing an explosive device into the entrance of the Multnomah Athletic Club on SW Salmon Street, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Central Precinct Officers Under Strain
The stabbing came just a day after two Portland Police Central Precinct officers were hospitalized following an assault during a campsite cleanup near NW 5th Avenue and NW Flanders Street, Hoodline reported. The back-to-back incidents underscore the frequency of violent confrontations facing officers assigned to central Portland this week.
Portland Police Bureau records show shooting incidents dropped 30% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching their lowest point since 2019, per KPTV.
Police are asking anyone with information about Friday's stabbing to contact [email protected] and reference case number 26-280510. The relationship, if any, between Szkolnyj and the victim before the confrontation has not been disclosed.
