PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Latest on a stabbing on a Portland, Oregon, train that left two dead (all times local):
4:53 p.m.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney for Oregon are working with police in Portland to investigate the fatal stabbing of two men on a light-rail train who authorities say intervened when another man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared Muslim.
The FBI says it’s too early to say whether the slayings Friday qualify as a federal hate crime but U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams said “there’s a day of reckoning coming, a day of accountability.”
Police on Friday arrested 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland. He is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder.
Authorities say the stabbing occurred after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab, and other men attempted to intervene.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler decried the charged national political environment surrounding immigration.
Wheeler said, “Violent words can lead to violent acts.”
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4:26 p.m.
The mayor of Portland, Oregon, says the two men who were fatally stabbed when they intervened as a man yelled racial slurs at two young women on a light-rail train who appeared to be Muslim “died heroes.”
Speaking at a Saturday afternoon news conference, Mayor Ted Wheeler said “their actions were brave and selfless and should serve as an example, an inspiration to us all.”
Police on Friday arrested 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland. He is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder.
Authorities say the stabbing occurred after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab, and other men attempted to intervene.
Police said 53-year-old Ricky John Best of Happy Valley, Oregon, died at the scene on Friday, and 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche of Portland died at a hospital.
Police said 21-year-old Micah David-Cole Fletcher of Portland was also stabbed in the attack and is in serious condition at a Portland hospital.
Wheeler said Best was an Army veteran and a city employee.
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2:10 p.m.
Police say they’ll examine what appears to be the extremist ideology of a man suspected of fatally stabbing two other men on an Oregon train after they apparently attempted to intervene when the man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim.
Police in a statement Saturday also say 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland doesn’t have any known mental health history listed and he’s not flagged as a criminal gang member.
Police arrested Christian on Friday following the stabbing. He’s being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Police have also identified the two young women on the train, one of whom was wearing a hijab at the time of the stabbing. Their names haven’t been released.
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1:30 p.m.
Authorities have identified two men fatally stabbed on a Portland light-rail train in Oregon.
Police on Saturday said 53-year-old Ricky John Best of Happy Valley, Oregon, died at the scene on Friday and 23-year-old Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche of Portland died at a hospital.
Police say 21-year-old Micah David-Cole Fletcher of Portland was also stabbed in the attack and is in serious condition at a Portland hospital. Police say his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
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9:45 a.m.
The 35-year-old Oregon man identified by authorities in the fatal stabbing of two people on a Portland light-rail train has a criminal record that includes stints in prison.
Court records located by The Associated Press on Saturday show that Jeremy Joseph Christian was convicted of robbery, kidnapping and a weapons charge in 2002.
Christian is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder.
Police say two people died Friday and another was hurt in the stabbing after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim, one of whom was wearing a hijab.
Police say that before the stabbing the assailant on the train was ranting on many topics, using “hate speech or biased language.”
One person was dead at the scene and another died at a hospital. The third person was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Autopsies are expected later Saturday.
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8:25 a.m.
Authorities on Saturday identified a 35-year-old Portland man as the suspect in the fatal stabbing of two people on a Portland light-rail train in Oregon.
Jeremy Joseph Christian is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder.
Police say two people died Friday and another was hurt in the stabbing after a man yelled racial slurs at two young women who appeared to be Muslim, one of whom was wearing a hijab.
Police say that before the stabbing the assailant on the train was ranting on many topics, using “hate speech or biased language.”
One person was dead at the scene and another died at a hospital. The third person was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Millions of Muslims marked the start of Ramadan Friday, a time marked by intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.
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