In the early hours of May 4, 2022, a tragic event unfolded in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood of Southeast Portland, forever altering the lives of those who knew and loved Morgan M. Kahoaokekai. At approximately 1:34 a.m., Portland Police Bureau officers were dispatched to an apartment in the 2800 block of Southeast Division Street following a report of a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered 30-year-old Morgan, a male, deceased inside the residence.
The initial investigation revealed that the suspect or suspects had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. The area around the apartment building was quickly cordoned off as homicide detectives began their meticulous work, closing a portion of Southeast Division Street for several hours. An autopsy later conducted by the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Morgan's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. His family, grieving their profound loss, provided a photograph of him for public release and requested privacy during this difficult time.
In the days that followed, detectives diligently pursued leads to identify the person responsible for Morgan's death. Their investigation led them to 33-year-old Nathaniel C. Freeman. On May 10, 2022, a team comprising U.S. Marshals and the Clackamas County SWAT team located and arrested Freeman. He was subsequently lodged in the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Freeman was charged with several serious crimes in connection with the fatal shooting. The charges brought against him included Murder in the Second Degree with a Firearm, Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The arrest brought a measure of progress in the case, though the details of what led investigators to Freeman were not immediately disclosed to the public. The community was left to grapple with the senseless violence that had claimed the life of a young man.
