Man accused of killing 2 in Portland was allegedly on meth, says voices made him do it
10/27/2021 11:35 am PDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) -- A 45-year-old man was arrested for allegedly fatally shooting two people inside an Old Town apartment complex over the weekend.
The Portland Police Bureau wrote in a statement Sunday that officers from their Central Precinct responded to a shooting call at an apartment on the 300 block of Northwest 6th Avenue at 6:25 a.m. Officers found an adult male and adult female victim, and both were declared dead on the scene.
Officers detained Michael VanDomelen at the scene and booked him on two counts of first-degree murder. According to The Oregonian/Oregon Live, VanDomelen pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports one of the victim's neighbors went into the hallway when the shots rang out. He reportedly went to check on the male victim, but he was not responsive. The neighbor reportedly saw VanDomelen in the hallway and asked if he knew who shot the two victims.
VanDomelen allegedly responded, "I did."
Surveillance footage reportedly shows VanDomelen holding a handgun and pointing it in the apartment's direction. VanDomelen reportedly still had the 9mm gun in his pocket at the time of his arrest. While speaking with police, he allegedly admitted to killing two people, The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports.
According to court records cited by The Oregonian/Oregon Live, VanDomelen said he was high on methamphetamine at the time of the shooting and voices told him to do it.
VanDomelen reportedly lives in the same building where the shooting occurred.
The shooting deaths of these two victims brought Portland's homicide count to 71. According to The Oregonian/Oregon Live, that's the highest number of homicides in the city since 1987.
Multnomah County Jail records show VanDomelen is being held without bail.
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