The Incident

May 26, 2017 was a beautiful Friday afternoon.

It ended in tragedy, with two men dead, another one fighting for his life and two teenage girls’ lives forever altered as the suspect was apprehended shortly after the stabbing attack on board a MAX train in Northeast Portland.

Here’s what police, prosecutors, survivors and witnesses say happened that fateful day.

The Accused

Jeremy Christian’s problems with law enforcement didn’t start with the attack on the MAX and the murder of two people on May 26, 2017. It didn’t end there either.

Christian had been accused and convicted of serious crimes that date back at least 15 years before he was arrested and charged with killing Ricky Best and Talisian Namkai-Meche and charged with trying to kill Micah Fletcher.

We explored Christian’s background for the relevant, at times violent, criminal past.

The Victims and Survivors

As the city of Portland reeled from the shock of the deadly MAX attack, many chose to focus on the heroes — all strangers — who stepped up in the moment of a racist tirade to come to the aid of two teenage girls of color.

Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche would both die from their wounds, while Micah Fletcher would survive the stabbing attack, as the lives of Destinee Mangum and Walia Mohamed would change forever.

We explored the lives of those who survived and those who died.