Who killed 43 year old Gary Lamont Smith in 1998? On the evening of December 3, 1998, in Portland, Oregon, the life of 43-year-old Gary Lamont Smith, an African-American male, was cut short in a violent encounter. Around 6:00 p.m., police officers pulled over a 1998 teal green Hyundai Accent that was being driven erratically on Northeast Shaver Street, just east of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Inside, they found Smith severely wounded and bleeding heavily.
Despite attempts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries before paramedics could arrive. An autopsy later confirmed that he had died from a gunshot wound.
Witnesses provided a chilling account of the events that preceded the traffic stop. They reported seeing Smith in his car on Northeast Shaver Street, west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, engaged in a conversation with another African-American man. For reasons that remain unknown, the conversation escalated, and the unidentified man fired multiple shots into Smith's vehicle. The gunman then fled the scene, heading south on foot.
The suspect was described as being between 18 and 25 years old, standing between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a slender build. As of today, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Gary Lamont Smith, and the case remains an open investigation with the Portland Police Department's Cold Case Homicide Unit. It was reported that Smith was a regular user of crack cocaine and was rumored to "rip off" individuals for drugs or money.
