PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Family members and friends are mourning the loss of a Portland man who was shot and killed on New Year’s Eve in Gresham.
Officials said Josh Cermack, 23, died in the shooting near NE 188th Avenue and Irving Court.
A man called 911 around 8:15 p.m., saying he and his friend had been shot and his friend wasn’t responding, according to Gresham police.
Responding officers found Cermack in the driver’s seat and pronounced him dead at the scene. The man in the passenger’s seat was taken to a hospital.
Investigators said they’re still trying to piece together the events that led up to the shooting. They said the incident wasn’t random — and the victims knew whoever pulled the trigger. Officials also ruled out gang activity.
An outpouring of shock, grief and love flooded social media in the following days as friends and relatives learned of Cermack’s death.
Monica Pettigrove described her cousin as “funny,” “outgoing” and “sweet.”
“He was Grandma’s boy, he could do no wrong,” Pettigrove said. “He was definitely a protector. If anything happened to me and my older sister, he was right there backing us up.”
For Pettigrove, news of her cousin’s death reached her on Wednesday.
“I was stunned and all these tears started falling down, just uncontrollably, my heart in that instant just broke,” she said.
Cermack lived in Portland and worked at a metal shop. He was also a father to twin sons.
“He was there for a lot of people in tough times, thick and thin, he was always there,” Pettigrove said.
Dozens of people posted pictures and shared stories on a Facebook page created in Cermack’s memory. One person wrote, “He always thought of others…you were a great young man, you were loved, and you will be very missed.”
Pettigrove said a void will always exist within her family but she has compassion for the person responsible for the killing.
“It really hurt our family that you took someone so special away from us,” she said. “But no matter how wrong life is to you, God will always accept anyone.”
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Gresham Police Department at 503.618.2318.