Three semiautomatic pistols displayed on a table, all three with ammunition magazines removed; one is black metal, one has a black slide over an olive colored polymer frame, the third chrome over black with an accessory mounted to the barrel | Portland Police Department
Three semiautomatic pistols displayed on a table, all three with ammunition magazines removed; one is black metal, one has a black slide over an olive colored polymer frame, the third chrome over black with an accessory mounted to the barrel | Portland Police Department
One man and two boys are facing gun charges after an investigation by the Focused Intervention Team (FIT).
On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, 8:37p.m., officers assigned to the FIT were patrolling in an area known for high rates of reported shootings when they noticed a gold Infiniti sedan driving recklessly. They initiated a traffic stop on the car, and the driver stopped in a parking lot at Southeast 162nd Avenue and Southeast Stark Street. The officers could see that there was a pistol on the floorboard underneath the driver.
The two passengers in the vehicle, both juvenile males, were also in possession of handguns. All three were removed from the car and arrested.
The driver, Key'Juan D. Smith, 24, of Portland, is a convicted felon and on pretrial release for a prior shooting case. He was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Public (City Code).
The two boys, one 16 and the other 17 years old, both from Gresham, were charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm in Public (City Code). They were taken to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center.
This incident demonstrates the effectiveness of FIT officers in their mission to proactively deter and interrupt the cycle of gun violence. While patrolling in an area known for a high rate of shootings, they stopped and arrested three people armed with handguns, all of which were possessed illegally. Additionally, one of the three arrestees had a prior arrest for a shooting. However, this is not an unusual incident. FIT members engage in ongoing proactive enforcement, and they spend time building relationships with community members to help deter gun violence.
FIT is overseen by a group of community volunteers known as the Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group, or FITCOG. The FITCOG commenced in June 2021 in response to the gun violence crisis in Portland to work with the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and assist with recommendations to reduce gun violence through prevention, intervention, and response. For more information, see their website: https://www.portland.gov/fitcog .
Original source can be found here.
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