On the evening of March 9, 2023, a sense of unease settled over a Southeast Portland neighborhood as the sound of gunshots pierced the air. In the Foster-Powell neighborhood, near the intersection of Southeast 74th Avenue and Southeast Powell Boulevard, police responded to a call of shots fired around 7:28 p.m. Arriving at the scene, which was located near an area with parked RVs where people were living, they discovered the body of 39-year-old Hispanic male, Rene Ramirez Martinez.
An autopsy later confirmed that Martinez had died from a gunshot wound, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The initial investigation found that the suspect or suspects had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived, leaving a community shaken and a family grieving. The Portland Police Homicide Unit cordoned off the area, with detectives meticulously documenting the crime scene, noting details such as bullet holes in a nearby car window. For weeks, the case remained under active investigation, with detectives appealing to the public for any information that might lead to an arrest. The family of Rene Ramirez Martinez, while requesting privacy, provided a photograph of him for public release in the hopes it might generate leads.
A significant breakthrough in the case came nearly two months later. On May 2, 2023, homicide detectives identified 38-year-old Jorge Gomez Montejano as the suspect in the murder of Rene Ramirez Martinez. Following the issuance of an arrest warrant, Montejano was apprehended by the U.S. Marshal's Service and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. He faces charges of Murder in the Second Degree and Unauthorized Use of a Weapon.
