A prominent Portland businessman, identified as Geoffrey E. Hammond, 46, was involved in a fatal shooting during a road rage altercation.
The incident took a horrifying turn when Hammond, in a fit of rage, reportedly turned his firearm on a bystander who attempted to document the tragic events, as per reports.
The disturbing scene captured in an image showed Hammond brandishing his firearm at Samuel Gomez while inside his Mercedes, with the lifeless body of victim Ryan Martin lying on the street.
Hammond allegedly discharged two shots at Gomez, striking him in the leg before fleeing the scene.
“He got the gun loaded and he just straight looked at me and then, as you can see in the picture, just popped me,” Gomez said.
The incident unfolded in downtown Portland when Hammond parked his Mercedes Benz SUV in a manner obstructing traffic near the Moxy Hotel on Southwest Alder Street.
“It is unclear what, if anything Ryan Martin said while tapping on the window,” the affidavit reads, “but witnesses described shouting.”
Ryan Martin, aged 47, approached Hammond and attempted to persuade him to move his vehicle. Tensions escalated, with both parties reportedly exchanging offensive gestures, as mentioned in an arrest affidavit.
Martin exited his vehicle and approached Hammond, who, despite acknowledging that Martin was unarmed, proceeded to load a firearm.
Hammond allegedly rolled down his car window and fired a fatal shot at Martin’s chest. Martin pleaded for his life, stating, “I’m sorry. I had a bad day.”
“You are lucky I didn’t shoot you in the head,” witnesses recalled Hammond saying the businessman also flashed a badge “as if he were a policeman.”
It was during these distressing moments that Samuel Gomez, a visitor from Phoenix attending a conference at the Moxy Hotel, took out his phone to record the unfolding chaos.
Gomez inadvertently became a victim when Hammond managed to get his firearm functioning once more and aimed it at the bystander.
The bullet passed through one of Gomez’s legs and fractured the femur in the other. Hammond, in an attempt to escape, fired another shot, which fortunately missed its target.
Gomez, injured but stable, was promptly rushed to the hospital. Tragically, Ryan Martin succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
“Everything just changed,” Gomez recalled. “I’m just grateful that I’m alive because it could have been worse.”
Despite fleeing the crime scene, Hammond called 911 as he drove to the county courthouse, confessing to the shootings.
“He believed he was justified in doing so because Ryan Martin menaced him and because Sam Gomez might have had a weapon,” the affidavit states. Gomez “may have been planning an ambush which he recognized as a military tactic.”
According to reports, Hammond displayed little remorse for his actions, telling authorities that he believed he was being stalked by groups of people.
Hammond now faces multiple serious charges, including second-degree murder with a firearm, second-degree attempted murder with a firearm, first-degree assault with a firearm, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.