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Background: News footage from the scene in Portland, Ore., where Joshua Kelvin was killed on June 6, 2024 (KATU). Inset: Joshua Kelvin (Portland Police Bureau).
An Oregon teenager has been taken into custody in relation to the deadly shooting of an Uber driver.
The suspect, now 18, was only 16 when he allegedly fired at a rideshare vehicle on June 4, 2024. This tragic incident led to the death of 42-year-old Uber driver Joshua Kelvin and injured one of his two teenage passengers. Nearly two years following the incident, Multnomah County prosecutors revealed that the suspect’s intended targets were the teenagers inside the vehicle when he attacked the Uber. The uninjured passenger managed to escape on foot, while Kelvin was declared dead at the scene.
As reported by The Oregonian, the suspect appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, facing a slew of charges related to the tragic event, including second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Given his age at the time of the crime, the case is being handled in juvenile court.
Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin detailed in court that the suspect, along with another unidentified individual, orchestrated the attack targeting the two teenagers, aged 17 and 18 at that time. Kelvin, the Uber driver, was tragically caught in the crossfire. According to a report by local ABC affiliate KATU, prosecutors stated that the suspect discharged his weapon “17 to 18 times” at the intended victims.
The younger passenger endured seven or eight gunshot wounds, resulting in severe injuries, while the older teenager managed to flee the scene. Franklin noted that the older teen was subsequently shot later that month with the same firearm used in the Uber attack. Although Franklin did not directly implicate the suspect in this later shooting, he informed the court that the suspect allegedly used the same gun to harm another individual in January 2025.
Franklin said the injured teenager continues to deal with the injuries he sustained almost two years after the alleged shooting.
KATU reported that the suspect was not in custody when he arrived at court, but a judge ordered him to be taken into custody following the hearing on Tuesday.
The suspect was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, first- and second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and attempt to commit a Class A felony. His next court date was not available.