Aspiring EMT, 25, killed after leaving Portland restaurant
Danae Williams was the 31st homicide victim this year in Portland which is seeing an uptick in crime
A young woman was fatally shot in Portland, Oregon.
Danae Williams was shot in her car after having dinner with a friend. The 25-year-old woman passed away on Friday, per KGW.
“It’s still surreal you know, and I feel for her mom,” said Laura Wiegman, the victim’s great aunt.
“She was downtown at a restaurant having dinner with a friend and they came out of the restaurant and got into the car,” Wiegman said.
Officers are still investigating and have not released details but Williams’ aunt said the young woman was struck by a bullet that came from the passenger side window of the vehicle. She added that the shots were fired from another car.
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The motive is unknown.
“Danae is not in any way, was never in any way involved in the gangs,” said Wiegman.
Williams was the city’s 31st homicide victim this year. The city, which was once named one of the country’s safest, is seeing an uptick in crime. This time last year, there had reportedly been only four homicides. Williams was with a male at the time of the shooting. He is expected to survive but is facing critical injuries.
The young woman worked with individuals who suffered from disabilities. She had dreams of becoming an EMT.
A memorial now sits where she was shot near NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Dekum Street.
“Detectives are investigating. They believe several witnesses may have left the scene prior to talking to officers, and they hope to hear from those witnesses as soon as possible,” per a press release by the Portland Police Bureau.
“She’s the middle daughter so she leaves behind an older sister and a younger sister,” said Wiegman. “It’s hard for both of them, losing their little sister, their big sister. But you gotta deal with it.”
Wiegman added that she could have never imagined this would happen.
“The frustration is you think this can’t happen to my family and here it does, you know just a random act of violence.”
The FBI made appearances in the city over the weekend due to the surge in gun violence.
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“There are several vigils and funerals planned in Portland in the coming days and these vigils are credible targets for further violence,” announced the Portland City Council in a report that went live on Friday. “Our goal is to deescalate and lower the tensions in the community that are fueling this crisis.”
The FBI added in a statement: “It will be a very visible effort with two goals in mind. First, the task force wants to show the community that it is working to bring peace to the streets. Second, the task force wants shooters to know that law enforcement is working assertively to find them and arrest them.”
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