In the evening of November 7, 2023, a shooting in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, claimed the life of 39-year-old Duresa Kuri Tibeso, a Black male. The incident occurred at approximately 6:28 p.m. in a tractor-trailer parking lot located in the 10100 block of North Portland Road. North Precinct officers responded to reports of the shooting and found Tibeso suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the officers' attempts to render aid by applying tourniquets, his injuries were too severe, and he was transported to a local hospital where he later died. The Medical Examiner subsequently confirmed that the cause of death was a homicide by gunshot wound.
The investigation into the shooting quickly identified a suspect, Zelalem Bikila Guyota, a 31-year-old resident of Portland. It was discovered that shortly after the fatal shooting of Tibeso, at 6:44 p.m., a second shooting occurred in the vicinity of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and Northeast Russell Street. An adult male was seriously injured in this second incident. Authorities determined Guyota was the suspect in both shootings.
Concerns grew within the Ethiopian immigrant community, to which both Tibeso and Guyota belonged, that the suspect might target other members of the community. In response, patrol officers were dispatched to local businesses and restaurants frequented by the community to prevent any further acts of violence. The search for Guyota ended when he was found deceased. The medical examiner determined that his death was a suicide by gunshot wound. The investigation into the incidents is ongoing, and authorities have encouraged anyone with information to come forward.
