PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 22-year-old man has been convicted of shooting and killing two people in May 2019, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
A 12-person jury found Michael Christopher Ramirez guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm. He was 19 years old at the time of the crimes.
The District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday that on May 24, 2019, around 2 a.m., Ramirez and a group of teens were prowling in the area of Southeast 103rd Avenue and Southeast Reedway Street when they were approached by 44-year-old Sergey Peshkov, an area resident. Peshkov asked the group to stop prowling and four of the group members eventually walked away. However, Ramirez stayed behind in a vehicle parked on the street and shot Peshkov several times before fleeing the area.
Ramirez reportedly drove himself and three of the teens back to the location to view the body and bragged about the murder several hours later.
The following evening, around 8 p.m., Ramirez and an acquaintance, 18-year-old Lorenzo Gordon, reportedly met in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the area of Southeast 162nd Avenue. The District Attorney’s Office says that both men were in vehicles and three other people were present at the time when Ramirez and Gordon began to argue.
After Gordon exited his car and approached Ramirez’s driver-side window, he was reportedly shot and killed by Ramirez, who fled the scene.
According to the District Attorney’s office, Ramirez was arrested on May 26, 2019, on an unrelated charge, but subsequently incriminated himself in the two shootings while in custody at Inverness Jail. It was also determined through forensic testing that the bullets and casings recovered from the shootings came from the same firearm.
“Mr. Ramirez took two lives in two days. Mr. Pashkov was simply trying to keep himself and his neighbors safe. Mr. Gordon was simply having an argument. Neither warranted a death sentence. These killings were senseless, purposeless and have had a ripple effect in the communities where they took place. I appreciate the thoughtful deliberation of the jury and believe justice was served,” stated Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Kate Molina.
Ramirez is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 16.