PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A sixth suspect was arrested early on Sunday morning in the 2014 murder of Ervaeua Herring, police say.
Jeffery L. Sims, Jr., 27, was taken into custody after his vehicle was seen near Southeast 82nd Avenue and Southeast Powell Boulevard, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
He tried to get away from police and eventually abandoned his vehicle, fleeing on foot. After setting up a perimeter, police (with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies) were able to arrest Sims, authorities said.
Sims was booked into the Multnomah County Jail and faces a murder charge, police said.
He was wanted in connection to the shooting death of soon-to-be-mother Herring. She died in August 2014 after multiple suspects opened fire in her apartment. She lived at Eastwood Village Apartments near Southeast 151st and Southeast Powell Boulevard.
Sims is the sixth suspect arrested in connection with the murder. In October 2016, the district attorney’s office filed murder, burglary, and unlawful use of a weapon charges against Tony Lamar Brown Jr. He had been in custody since June and prosecution against him is mostly completed. A sentencing date will be set in the future after he accepted a plea agreement.
Herring was pregnant at the time of her death, and police said though the shooting was gang-related, she was not the intended target of the attack.Status of each suspect as of Dec. 19, 2016:
Demetrius Ray Brown – Pending trial on two separate murder cases, including Ervaeua Herring’s.
Geontae Brachaurd Jones – Pending trial in the Ervaeua Herring murder.
DeAnthony Simmons – Currently serving time in Oregon Department of Corrections and pending trial in the Ervaeua Herring murder.
Kelani Brown – Pending trial in the Ervaeua Herring murder.
Tony Lamar Brown Jr. – Awaiting sentencing following a conviction in the Ervaeua Herring case.
Jeffery L. Sims Jr. – Will be arraigned Dec. 19 on murder charges in connection to the Ervaeua Herring case.
The case remains an active investigation, and anyone with information Herring’s death, including second hand information, is asked to contact Detective Anthony Merrill at 503-823-4033, anthony.merrill@portlandoregon.gov