A 32-year-old man, Manuel Castillo Garza, died last week from injuries sustained in a shooting incident involving a security guard at The Gan, a Jewish preschool in Southwest Portland. The shooting occurred on May 8 shortly before noon in a parking lot located between the Fanno Creek Medical Clinic and the preschool on Southwest Capitol Highway. Portland police responded to the scene at approximately 11:50 a.m. as reports of the shooting began to surface.
Dr. Gregg Coodley, the medical director at the nearby clinic, was alerted to the situation by a nurse. Upon heading to the back parking lot, he discovered Garza lying on the ground next to a lime-green Hyundai SUV. Coodley observed a bullet hole in Garza’s left abdomen, near the spleen, and he promptly applied pressure to the wound until paramedics arrived.
Garza was hospitalized following the shooting and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Originally from Texas, the duration of his stay in Portland prior to the incident remains unclear.
Details surrounding the events leading to the shooting are still under investigation. Police have not clarified whether the security guard acted in self-defense or disclosed whether Garza was armed or threatened anyone prior to the shooting. According to The Gan preschool, the guard was “threatened and assaulted” before he shot Garza. The preschool stated that the guard faced a “direct threat” at the time he made the decision to discharge his weapon for self-defense.
Sgt. Kevin Allen, a spokesperson for the Portland police, indicated investigators are scrutinizing Garza’s activities leading up to the incident, including whether he was visiting the clinic or the preschool and the nature of his interaction with the security guard.
The presence of security guards at Jewish institutions, including The Gan, has become increasingly common in the aftermath of violent incidents targeting such communities. Marc Blattner, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, noted that many Jewish institutions in the area have armed security personnel, particularly following the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. Tensions have surged since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in heightened security measures amid a nationwide rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
While police have assured the public that there is no indication that bias motivated the May 8 shooting, The Gan confirmed that children and teachers were present indoors during the incident. Staff members adhered to established safety protocols in response to the situation, according to the preschool’s statement.
As for arrests related to the case, police have yet to take anyone into custody. On the day of the shooting, Officer Allen confirmed that the security guard was cooperating with law enforcement authorities. The identity of the guard remains undisclosed.
The Enhanced Community Safety Team of the Portland Police Bureau, responsible for investigating injury shootings, initially handled the case. Following Garza’s death, the investigation was transferred to the homicide unit of the police department.
Currently, homicide detectives are compiling their investigation case file to submit to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office for potential charges. Officer Allen mentioned that it is uncertain when this submission will take place or what recommendations will be included. He urged the community to understand that maintaining the investigation’s integrity is essential, which might result in withholding certain details during the ongoing inquiry.
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