Nearly two years after a 22-year-old man was found dead inside a parked car in Northeast Portland, detectives still have no one in custody and are again asking the public for help. The Portland Police Bureau says it needs tips to solve the 2024 killing of Leno Batista-Guzman, whose death has gone unresolved since officers found him shot in the Sabin neighborhood before dawn.
What Happened That Night
According to the KPTV report on the bureau's renewed appeal, officers responded to a call of shots fired on the 4500 block of Northeast 20th Avenue around 2 a.m. on October 27, 2024. KATU reported that officers assigned to North Precinct arrived to find one man dead inside a parked car. Days later, the medical examiner determined his cause of death was homicide by gunshot wound, the station reported.
Batista-Guzman's family identified him publicly, and OregonLive reported he was a 22-year-old Portland musician and father. His aunt, Loretta Guzman, who helped raise him, said the shooting happened near her own home just after 2 a.m. that morning, according to the same report.
No Arrests Announced in the Case
At the time of OregonLive's October 28, 2024, report, police had not announced any suspects or arrests in the shooting. The Portland Police Bureau's current appeal, posted this week, confirms that status has not changed: detectives believe someone out there has information that could move the case forward, and the bureau is again asking anyone with knowledge of the shooting to come forward.
Anyone with information can contact detectives at [email protected] and should reference case number 24-275256, per the bureau's notice.
A Grim Milestone in a Violent Year
Batista-Guzman's death marked Portland's 61st homicide of 2024, including three fatal police shootings, a count that matched the city's homicide tally at the same point in 2023, OregonLive reported at the time. By year's end, the bureau's jurisdiction recorded 67 homicides in 2024, 55 of them involving a firearm, according to the bureau's own annual report.
Nearly two years on, the case remains open, and the family's wait for answers continues alongside it. For now, detectives are relying on the public to provide the piece of information that could finally move the investigation forward.
