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20-year-old indicted for murder in pot dispensary killing

Daniel Mugisha, May 7, 2021 (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 20-year-old man has been indicted by a grand jury in the December 2020 murder of a cannabis shop employee.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office announced the indictment against Daniel Mugisha on Friday, which alleges numerous charges, including two counts of murder in the first degree, three counts of murder in the second degree, four counts of attempted murder in the second degree in addition to numerous counts of robbery and assault.

Mugisha is accused of killing 44-year-old Michael Arthur, who was gunned down on Dec. 14 during a robbery at the marijuana dispensary he worked at on North Lombard. Arthur’s death was the 50th homicide of 2020, according to Portland police.

The indicment against Mugisha also included charges for a robbery and shooting that left two people injured on Nov. 23, 2020. Prosecutors said Mugisha tried to kill four people during that shooting.

Mugisha was arrested and charged in connection with an armed robbery of a different cannabis store on Jan. 1 in the city’s Hollywood District with four other individuals. Authorities told KOIN 6 News the suspects tried to elude officers at speeds around 100 mph before they were arrested.

Mugisha is slated to be arraigned on the charges on Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.