In the Madison South neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, on the evening of Sunday, March 27, 2022, a 39-year-old Black / African American man named Shaani Mohamed was shot and killed. A Somali refugee who had sought safety in Portland two decades prior, he was a husband and a father to eight children. On the night he died, Mohamed was working as an Uber driver.
The incident occurred around 9:38 p.m. near Northeast Milton Street and Northeast 82nd Avenue.
Officers from the East Precinct were dispatched to the scene following a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Mohamed with a gunshot wound. Despite life-saving measures attempted by the officers and paramedics, he did not survive. The Portland Police Homicide Unit immediately began an investigation into his death.
For over three years, the case remained without a public suspect. However, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the Portland Police Bureau's East Precinct arrested 28-year-old Justin Ortega-Mejia of Portland in connection with the fatal shooting. Ortega-Mejia was taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center and booked on a charge of Murder in the Second Degree. The family of Shaani Mohamed was notified of the arrest, marking a significant development in the long-standing case.
