PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A married Portland couple is facing murder charges after being arrested in connection with the deadly shooting of a Tigard High School graduate near a popular bar in Eugene.
Regis Derey Kindred, 30, and Kailee Von Foster, 29, were arrested and charged with murder four months after Alex Oyombe Gradin was shot and killed in the early morning hours of May 4, according to Eugene police.
Police say Kindred and Von Foster intentionally shot into a crowded area behind the Taylor’s Bar and Grill parking lot.
The shooting was motivated by some kind of gang-related activity, detectives said, but they emphasized that it had nothing to do with Gradin, who was a 21-year-old student at Lane Community College.
‘Struck down by this horrible act’
“He was, simply put, just a college student enjoying a night with friends,” said Detective Jed McGuire with the Eugene Police Department.
Taylor’s Bar and Grill has been a popular spot for college students for years.
“Alex did absolutely nothing wrong,” said McGuire. “He was a good student and our investigation we found nobody had anything bad to say about Alex. He’s a very kind person and he was struck down by this horrible act.”
Gradin left a huge mark on the community. In high school, he was a member of the Tigers track and football teams before graduating in 2016.
“Alex was loved by family and friends in Eugene, Tigard and in his birth country of Kenya,” Gradin’s family said in a statement.
“Alex was a very genuine kid, kind soul, very likable, infectious smile, laugh, all-around good kid,” Tigard football coach Jonn Kemper said.
While the arrests made in the case provide some answers, they do little to ease the pain for friends and family.
In a statement, Gradin’s family asked for anyone else who may know anything about the night of the shooting to come forward and talk to police.
The suspects
Court documents reveal Foster and Kindred have lengthy criminal histories and investigators identified them just days after the shooting.
Foster was arrested in May on an unrelated prostitution charge. She was arraigned in a Lane County court Friday afternoon.
Kindred, who was previously convicted of robbery and assault, was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on a probation violation but he’s scheduled to be transferred to Lane County next month.
Eugene police say they want to talk to another person they’ve identified as a possible witness: a man known by the name “Kane.” He’s about 6-foot-3, has a thin build and a tattoo on the left side of his neck.
Please call the EPD at 541.682.5111 if you can help in this investigation.