Jermaine Niron Davis, a 24-year-old African-American male, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, January 1, 2007, in downtown Portland, Oregon. The incident unfolded at approximately 2 a.m. near the corner of Southwest 4th Avenue and Stark Street. Jermaine, who was known to frequent the downtown area, was with a group of people when a vehicle, described as a dark-colored, 4-door luxury-type car with tinted windows, drove by.
A man in the rear passenger seat of
the vehicle began yelling at the group on the sidewalk. When the car stopped for a red light at Stark Street, Jermaine Davis and two others approached the open rear window to confront the passenger. A physical altercation ensued, with at least one person from Jermaine's group throwing punches through the window. It was at this point that a single gunshot was fired from within the car.
The vehicle immediately fled the scene, heading eastbound on Stark Street. Jermaine and his companions ran south on the sidewalk of Southwest 4th Avenue. Tragically, Jermaine collapsed on the sidewalk just north of the City Sports Bar and died from his wound.
Despite the public setting of the shooting, the case has been hampered by a lack of witness cooperation. The primary suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male with a mustache, goatee, and dark brown hair. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Jermaine Niron Davis, and his case remains an unsolved homicide. The Portland Police Bureau has in the past offered a cash reward for information that could lead to an arrest and has encouraged anyone with knowledge of the incident to come forward.
