2 Men Killed On Portland Train After Trying To Stop Anti-Muslim Rant, Police Say
This...is my city. I live here. It has its share of racism, but Portland is a very liberal city. I am shaken.
2 Men Killed On Portland Train After Trying To Stop Anti-Muslim Rant, Police Say
Police arrested a 35-year-old man following the stabbing deaths.
By Lee Moran , Andy Campbell
Two men have been killed after trying to stop a man abusing two women on a train because they appeared to be Muslim, say police in Portland, Oregon.
Police arrested Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, of North Portland, following the stabbing deaths on a MAX train at the Hollywood Transit Station at 4:30 p.m. Friday. They charged him with offenses including two counts of aggravated murder over the incident, which occurred hours before the start of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
Witnesses said at least one of the women the suspect targeted was wearing a hijab, and it appeared the abuse was religiously and racially motivated.
He said, Get off the bus, and get out of the country because you dont pay taxes here, Evelin Hernandez, a passenger on the train, told KATU-TV.
Three men intervened amid the suspects ranting and raving, Portland police spokesman Pete Simpson said during a news conference. They were attacked viciously by the suspect.
The suspects mother, Mary Christian, told HuffPost early Saturday that she had no idea that her son might have been involved.
Its scary, she said. I cant imagine he would do anything like this, unless he was on drugs or something. Hes been in prison, hes always been spouting anti-establishment stuff but hes a nice person I just cant imagine.
Police said one of the men who intervened died on the train. The other died later in hospital, while the third man was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Officers detained Christian soon after he got off the train, police said. They were unable to interview the women, however, as theyd already left the area.
Video at link
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/portland-attack-commuter-train_us_5929362ce4b053f2d2acaf56?aj&ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)Docreed2003
(16,878 posts)And you can't see how that might lead to this???
TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)athena
(4,187 posts)screaming "Die Christians" rather than "Die Muslims, die fake Christians, die Jews"? Just watch the video at the link. (I can't seem to embed it properly.)
Two lives could have been saved, and one person would have avoided serious injury, if the police had taken this guy's threats seriously.
Excerpt:
Police said they were familiar with him but they did not see him as a threat to public safety, adding that he suffered from mental illness. His mother told HuffPost Saturday that she didnt believe he was mentally ill.
raccoon
(31,126 posts)His mother said:
I cant imagine he would do anything like this, unless he was on drugs or something. Hes been in prison, hes always been spouting anti-establishment stuff but hes a nice person I just cant imagine.
Yeah, right!