On the night of June 6, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the peace in a Southeast Portland, Oregon neighborhood, leaving four men dead, including 27-year-old Kendall Preston Gragg. The violent encounter unfolded at a residence on Southeast Boise Street, where a reported shootout took the lives of Gragg, his 31-year-old half-brother Mitchell Jay Nacoste, 24-year-old Donavon Lenford, and 23-year-old Eyion Willis.
All four men were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds.
Initial investigations suggested the deadly confrontation may have stemmed from an attempted robbery related to marijuana. Nacoste resided at the home where the shooting occurred, while Gragg lived less than a mile away. The other two victims, Lenford and Willis, were reportedly from Texas. It is believed that two men from Texas, along with a third individual who fled the scene, were involved in the incident.
For months, the case remained under active investigation with no publicly named suspects. The community and the families of the victims were left grappling with the sudden and tragic loss. Friends and family remembered Kendall Gragg as a loving, caring, and funny individual who was a protector to many. He had attended several local schools, including Cleveland High School.
Approximately nine months after the shooting, a break in the case came with the arrest of a suspect in Texas. The U.S. Marshals Service apprehended Jeremy Lenoire, who was wanted in connection with the quadruple homicide. Lenoire's arrest brought a renewed sense of hope for justice for the families of Kendall Gragg and the other victims. The multi-state effort to locate and capture the suspect highlighted the dedication of law enforcement to resolving the case. The investigation remains ongoing as the legal process against the suspect proceeds.
