On the evening of December 3, 1998, the life of 43-year-old Gary Lamont Smith, a Black / African American male, was cut short in Portland, Oregon. Around 6:00 p.m., police officers pulled over a 1998 teal green Hyundai Accent that was being driven erratically on Northeast Shaver Street, just east of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Inside, they found Smith severely wounded and bleeding heavily.
Despite attempts to get him medical help, he succumbed to his injuries before paramedics could arrive. An autopsy later confirmed that he had died from a gunshot wound.
Witnesses provided a chilling account of the moments that preceded the traffic stop. They reported seeing Smith in his vehicle on Northeast Shaver Street, west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, engaged in a conversation with another man. This individual, described as an unidentified African-American man between 18 and 25 years old, standing 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches tall with a slender build, was seen firing multiple shots into Smith's car. After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene, heading southbound.
The investigation into Smith's murder has remained open for years, transitioning into a cold case handled by the Portland Police Department's Homicide Unit. It was reported that Smith was a regular user of crack cocaine and had a reputation for "ripping off" individuals for drugs or money, a detail that may or may not be connected to his killing. To date, no arrests have been made in the case, and the suspect remains at large. Authorities continue to seek information from the public that might lead to a break in this long-unsolved homicide.
