Ace Lamar Lewis was a 28-year-old Black man with a wide range of interests and ambitions. Remembered by his brother as a "big old kid" who "lived in the stars," he loved talking about space travel and video games. He grew up in California and later lived in North Dakota, where he worked as a security guard and hoped to one day join the Secret Service. His family recalled him as a "sweet, loving boy who grew into a wonderful young man who loved his family and friends."
By 2023, he was living in Portland, Oregon, with his girlfriend.
In the early hours of July 5, 2023, after a Fourth of July party, Ace’s girlfriend grew concerned about his behavior and called her cousin, Raymond Lavaughn Grant, asking for a place where she and her two children could stay. Grant arrived at their apartment in the Argay Terrace neighborhood. The girlfriend and her children got into his car without any trouble. However, instead of driving away, Grant went into the apartment building to find Ace.
A confrontation occurred between the two men inside the building on the 4400 block of Northeast 131st Place. Grant, who was armed, shot the unarmed Ace Lewis multiple times in the back, chest, armpit, and neck. When North Precinct officers arrived at the scene shortly before 1 a.m., they found Lewis deceased. The medical examiner later confirmed he died from a gunshot wound and ruled his death a homicide.
For over a month, the case remained without an arrest as homicide detectives investigated. Then, on August 8, 2023, authorities located their suspect. With assistance from the Special Emergency Response Team and the U.S. Marshal's Service Fugitive Task Force, detectives arrested 38-year-old Raymond Lavaughn Grant in downtown Portland. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center and charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At trial, Grant claimed he had acted in self-defense. The court rejected his argument, pointing out that Grant had been armed while Lewis was not, and that Grant had the option to simply leave the scene without danger to himself or anyone else. A jury found Raymond Grant guilty of murdering Ace Lewis. He was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison, bringing the case to a close.
