PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The man convicted of killing a woman and injuring four others in a mass shooting at a Portland park was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.
Benjamin Smith, 44, pleaded guilty in March to nine charges, including murder and assault, for opening fire at a protest in Normandale Park in February 2022. The convicted mass shooter learned his fate after surviving victims had a chance to address him to his face in court Tuesday.
One of the survivors, who goes by DEG, was shot in the neck and left paralyzed from the neck down. She remembered her friend who was killed, 60-year-old June Knightly.
“She was a person I loved and admired. Her life was stolen and I think I’m alive because of the sacrifice she made,” said DEG, also referencing the emotional and physical trauma since the shooting. “I was unable to speak because of my dependence on a ventilator. My voice, itself, is stolen.”
Following the February 2022 shooting, investigators initially reported Smith came out and yelled at the group that was at a racial justice protest, before pulling out a handgun and firing it at several people, before an armed bystander then shot him in the hip.
Smith, who was injured in the incident, entered the courtroom in a wheelchair. His lawyer, who was speaking on his behalf, said Smith was remorseful for what happened. People in the audience were yelling profanities at Smith and calling him a coward. Some of them even stormed out during the sentencing.
Smith was expressionless while victims read impact statements.
My ears were ringing from the gunshots,” said Allie Bradley, one of the victims. “I remember standing over you and screaming into your face. You were small and afraid, I asked, ‘you killed my friend for what?’ I never received an answer.”
Bradley said that night continues to haunt her.
“I have to relive that night countless times. I feel it and see it and smell it every single day. The weight of your bullets has not left my body,” Bradley said. “You cannot steal my strength even when you tried to kill me.”
Dajah Beck, one of the women shot that night, captured the entire shooting and aftermath on her motorcycle helmet camera, calling the night an “unfathomable nightmare.”
“My motorcycle helmet positioned directly in front of my mouth, capturing forever, every panicked breath, every desperate whimper, every cry for help as I begged my friends to simply live,” said Beck. “I believe I’m sitting here today because the world is full of people who look away. The world is full of people who do not push back on hatred, on racism, on misogyny.”
This week, the group, going by the “Normandale Survivors,” reiterated the Portland Police Bureau’s initial statement following the shooting was wrong.
Smith was referred to as a “homeowner” before they changed the description to “area resident,” as well as describing the conflict with them as “armed protesters,” adding that none of them were armed and they were not protesting, only serving as “safety support” for a protest, among other claims.
In a written statement, they said, “in the absence of overwhelming incriminating evidence, PPB’s efforts — whether the result of incompetence, malice, or both — could have resulted in the acquittal of the gunman.”
In response, PPB said “some of the initial information we had turned out to be incorrect, and as soon as we became aware of the inaccuracy we corrected it,” adding, “this is a good example of why we have to be so careful about what information we release initially about an incident.”
As a part of the plea deal reached earlier this year, Smith’s life sentence does come with the possibility of parole after 55 years. The 44-year-old would be in his late 90’s by that time.