In the early hours of Sunday, August 13, 2023, a bright young life was tragically cut short in Portland, Oregon. Rylee Jade Hatlen, a 19-year-old female, was killed in a shooting in the city's Pearl District. The incident occurred around 2:01 a.m. near the intersection of Northwest Couch Street and Broadway. When Portland Police Bureau officers arrived at the scene, they found Rylee with a gunshot wound.
Despite initial reports that she was deceased, it was later clarified that she was still breathing when officers found her. First responders, including police and firefighters, rendered immediate medical aid, but her injuries proved to be fatal, and she died at the scene. The county medical examiner later confirmed that Rylee's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound.
Rylee's father, Ryan Hatlen, described his daughter as "a bright light to everyone" with a smile that could illuminate a room. He shared that she was an ambitious and smart young woman who had graduated from high school a year early, alongside her brother. She had a love for sports, having played soccer and run track and field in her youth. In the wake of her death, loved ones created a memorial with candles, pictures, and messages of love near the scene of the shooting. Her stepmother also started a GoFundMe campaign to assist with final expenses.
According to her father, Rylee was an innocent victim in the tragic event. He stated that he had heard there was a "big gun battle" with 20 to 40 shots fired, and his daughter was simply sitting in a car, uninvolved in the conflict. A comment on a Reddit thread about the incident, purportedly from a person who worked nearby, suggested that Rylee was with her boyfriend when other individuals in a car targeted him, leading to an exchange of gunfire where only she was hit.
As of the latest available reports, no arrests have been made in connection with Rylee Hatlen's murder, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The Portland Police Bureau's Homicide detectives are actively investigating the case and have urged anyone with information to come forward. They have provided contact information for the lead detectives, Brad Clifton and Rico Beniga, for any potential witnesses or individuals with knowledge about the shooting. The case, numbered 23-212106, remains an open and ongoing investigation.
