On the evening of June 23, 2023, Marlan Johnson, a 24-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot in the Lloyd District neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The incident occurred around 9:47 p.m. near Northeast 6th Avenue and Northeast Holladay Street. When North Precinct officers arrived at the scene, they found Marlan Johnson with gunshot wounds. Despite receiving trauma first aid from the officers, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Medical Examiner later determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound and the manner of death to be homicide.
The suspect or suspects had fled the scene before police arrived, and no immediate arrests were made. The Portland Police Homicide Unit launched an investigation into the shooting. For a considerable time, the case remained under investigation as authorities worked to identify a person of interest.
In a significant development, on April 30, 2024, a Multnomah County Grand Jury indicted Amel R. Johnson, a 31-year-old from Fairview, for the murder of Marlan Johnson. It was noted by authorities that the two men were not related. At the time of the indictment, Amel Johnson was incarcerated in the Nye County Jail in Nevada on unrelated charges. After a lengthy extradition process, he was brought back to Oregon on August 4, 2025, and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. He faces several charges, including Murder in the Second Degree, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and two counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person. Marlan Johnson's family was notified of the arrest, marking a long-awaited step towards closure in the wake of their loss.
