In the early hours of February 18, 2019, a burst of gunfire shattered the quiet outside the Tik Tok Restaurant and Bar in Portland, Oregon, leaving a young man's life cut tragically short. Charles Exzavyer Gaines, a 25-year-old Black / African American male, was found critically injured from a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the establishment located at Southeast Division Street and 112th Avenue.
The call to police came in around 12:45 a.m., and though emergency responders arrived swiftly and transported him to a local hospital, his injuries proved fatal.
Investigators from the Portland Police Bureau's Homicide Team quickly determined that Gaines had not been inside the 24-hour restaurant prior to the shooting and that the incident did not appear to be connected to the business itself. The area was cordoned off for several hours as detectives meticulously combed the scene for evidence. While authorities assured the public that there was no immediate ongoing threat, they did not initially release any information about a potential suspect, leaving a community to grapple with the senseless violence that had occurred in their neighborhood.
For nearly two months, the investigation into the death of Charles Gaines continued. Then, on April 14, 2019, a significant break in the case came with the arrest of 35-year-old Javier Omar Solis. Acting on information gathered during their investigation, U.S. Marshals located Solis at a hotel on Northeast Sandy Boulevard in Portland. He was taken into custody without incident and subsequently booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Following his arrest, a grand jury indicted Javier Omar Solis on serious charges, including murder with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm with a firearm enhancement. The specifics of the motive and the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter remained under wraps, as the arrest warrant affidavit for Solis was sealed. The arrest, however, brought a measure of resolution to the investigation, though the profound loss of a young life continued to resonate with those who knew him and the wider community.
