In the early evening of May 18, 2022, a burst of violence shattered the quiet of a Gresham, Oregon neighborhood, claiming the life of 55-year-old Black / African American male, Leonard Eugene Madden. First responders were called to the scene near Southeast 190th Avenue and Yamhill Street just before 7 p.m., where they discovered Madden suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal.
The following day, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office officially ruled his death a homicide by gunfire.
The investigation into Madden's death was swiftly taken over by the East Multnomah County Major Crimes Team. For nearly two weeks, detectives worked to piece together the events that led to the fatal shooting. Their efforts culminated on May 31, when a significant break in the case led them to serve search warrants at two locations approximately a mile from where Madden was killed. The investigation then led police to follow a vehicle from one of these locations.
The pursuit ended in the parking lot of David Douglas High School in Southeast Portland. Inside the vehicle were four individuals, one of whom was a 16-year-old male identified as the suspect in Madden's murder. Officers, who had received a tip that the teen may have been planning to bring a weapon to a different high school, found a handgun in plain view inside the car. The teenage suspect was arrested without incident and charged with second-degree murder. The names of the suspect and the other occupants of the vehicle were not publicly released.
