PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Exactly two years ago, detectives took a 21-year-old man into custody following the deaths of two men in Northeast Portland.
On Tuesday, opening statements will be presented in Robert Jermaine Richardson Jr.’s aggravated murder trial.
The investigation started on October 2, 2015 when Anthony Howard and Eric Takemoto went to the Hourglass Pub at Northeast 47th Avenue and Glisan Street to celebrate a birthday. The two men left the bar and went to a small parking area, which doubles as the bar’s smoking area. According to witnesses, Richardson and Takemoto got into a fight. Officials have not said what the argument was about.
Video from the bar shows Howard trying to break up the fight, according to court documents.
“Richardson then pulled a handgun from his waistband and is seen on the video first shooting at close range into the body of Mr. Howard, then firing multiple additional shots in the direction of Mr. Takemoto,” according to court documents.
Both men were struck multiple times by gunfire, according to police. A third victim was struck in the leg by a bullet that traveled inside the bar. That man survived his injuries.
After the shooting, Richardson reportedly ran from the scene. Police located a .357 caliber handgun hidden in the shrubs near where Richardson was taken into custody. According to court documents, the shell casings at the scene matched the shell casings to the handgun that was later recovered.
DNA from a football hat found at the scene came back to Richardson’s profile, according to court documents. Video from the bar shows that the hat came off of Richardson while he was fighting Takemoto, according to court documents.
One witness told police that Richardson looked as if he “had a chip on his shoulder,” when he arrived at the bar, according to court documents. The bartender told detectives that Richardson had about 3 beers over a 5 hour period.
The trial is expected to last into mid-November.
Filed under: Civic Affairs, Crime
