PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Multnomah County courtroom fight between the families of a murder victim and his accused killer injured 2 people in an incident now under investigation by the District Attorney’s office.
Chaos erupted during the Tuesday arraignment of Damariae Haqq, who allegedly killed 18-year-old Parnell Badon Jr. at the Embassy Suites Hotel in November. It’s not clear what sparked the fight but Multnomah County deputies broke up the brawl between the families.
“All court staff left the courtroom as deputies entered to separate the parties,” the sheriff’s office told KOIN 6 News in a statement. “This is procedure for court staff to leave when there is a disturbance or threat. Medical personnel were called to evaluate two people for injuries.”
The disturbance did not impact the court’s process and arraignments continued soon afterward. The DA’s office is looking into whether any charges should be filed.
Badon’s mother, Damala Badon, told KOIN 6 News earlier this month there are still many unanswered questions about her son’s death.
“How are we allowing people to get their hands on weapons that cause this kind of chaos and harm? How are we allowing children to be in spaces where they’re unprotected? How are we allowing, you know, people to walk into a hotel room and just kill people and walk out like it was a regular day?” she said.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this case.