On the evening of April 5, 2023, in the Woodlawn Neighborhood of Northeast Portland, Oregon, the life of 27-year-old Black / African American female Deja Willingham was tragically cut short. Responding to reports of gunfire around 9:12 p.m. near the intersection of Northeast 22nd Avenue and Northeast Lombard Street, police officers arrived to a grim scene.
Willingham was discovered deceased, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound.
As detectives and criminalists began to process the area for evidence, the scope of the tragedy expanded. Several hours into their investigation, a second victim, 30-year-old Marcel Bryant, was found deceased nearby, also from a gunshot wound. The medical examiner later confirmed that both Willingham and Bryant died as a result of homicide by gunshot.
In the wake of the double homicide, the Portland Police Bureau launched an active and ongoing investigation. The suspect or suspects involved in the shooting had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived and have not been apprehended. As of the latest reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the deaths of Deja Willingham and Marcel Bryant. Detectives are urging anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward and have made public contact information for the lead investigators on the case. While Bryant's family has spoken to the media about their loss, Willingham's family has requested privacy during their time of grief.
