On the morning of January 2, 2022, a devastating act of violence cut short the life of Isaiah Dewayne Hurst, a 39-year-old Black / African American man, in Portland, Oregon. Hurst was on his way home after his routine morning trip to McDonald's, a simple errand to pick up breakfast and take medication for a recently diagnosed lung disease, when his life was unexpectedly taken.
At approximately 9:00 a.m. in the 100 block of North Morgan Street, Hurst was fatally shot.
Responding to a shooting call, officers arrived to find him deceased at the scene. The Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that Hurst died from a gunshot wound and ruled his death a homicide. His family was left in a state of shock and profound grief, struggling to comprehend the sudden and violent loss of their loved one.
For a time, the case remained unsolved, with no suspects immediately identified or arrested, adding to the family's anguish. Crime Stoppers of Oregon offered a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, as Hurst's family pleaded for answers and justice. Described as a hardworking and caring man who was deeply devoted to his family, Isaiah was a graduate of Grant High School and a lover of his city, the Trail Blazers, and had recently taken up golf.
Eventually, an arrest was made in connection with not only Hurst's murder but a series of other violent crimes in the Portland area. Joseph Kelly Banks was identified as the suspect. Surveillance footage from the morning of January 2nd captured Banks's vehicle driving alongside Hurst's car as several gunshots were fired. Ballistics evidence from the 9mm shell casings recovered at the scene linked Banks to the murder of Isaiah Hurst, as well as the murders of Jeff Ramirez and Mark Johnson, and several other shootings. Following his arrest on March 2, 2022, Joseph Kelly Banks was found guilty but for insanity on three counts of murder in the second degree and numerous other charges related to the violent spree. He was subsequently committed to the custody of the Oregon State Hospital.
