In the warm evening air of June 12, 2019, a tragic event unfolded at Broughton Beach in Portland, Oregon, forever altering the lives of many. Samuel Fast Buffalo Horse, a 27-year-old Native American man, was killed in a violent altercation. Known to his loved ones as Sammy, he was a father who had grown up in both Portland and Chiloquin, Oregon. That evening, police responded to a report of a shooting at the beach and arrived to find someone performing CPR on Samuel.
Despite these life-saving efforts, he died at the scene from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into Samuel's death led to the indictment of three individuals by a Multnomah County grand jury. The primary suspect, 17-year-old Michael Annello Perkins, was charged with second-degree murder with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, and riot. Perkins was accused of illegally possessing a firearm and using it to cause Samuel's death. At the time of the indictment, Perkins was taken into custody by the Oregon Youth Authority.
Two other men were also charged in connection with the incident that led to Samuel's death. Fernando Gonzales, 44, and Tremayne Coleman, 19, were both indicted on one count of riot and one count of third-degree assault. The indictment alleged that Gonzales and Coleman, aided by another person, caused physical injury to Samuel Fast Buffalo Horse. The indictment further stated that Perkins, Gonzales, and Coleman, along with at least two others, engaged in tumultuous and violent conduct that created a grave risk of causing public alarm. Members of the Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team arrested Gonzales and Coleman at a residence in Southeast Portland.
