(PORTLAND, Ore.) — A man is in custody in Portland, Oregon, in connection with stabbings on a light-rail train that left two people dead and one injured after commuters tried to calm the suspect who was yelling what police said “would best be characterized as hate speech.”
Jeremy Joseph Christian of North Portland is being held without bail at the Multnomah County Jail on charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder, intimidation in the second degree and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. Christian, 35, will be arraigned Tuesday at the Multnomah County Courthouse, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Police said multiple officers responded to a report of a disturbance on an eastbound light-rail train involving a man who stabbed two people on Friday around 4:30 p.m. local time. While en route to the scene, officers learned that the suspect had exited the train and was fleeing the area on foot toward a hospital, police said.
Upon arriving at the station where the train had stopped, officers found three stabbing victims and immediately began administering treatment onsite until medical personnel arrived, police said.
One of the victims, an adult male, died at the scene. The other two victims were transported to a hospital in Portland, where one was pronounced dead and the other was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
More photos of the deadly stabbing at Hollywood Transit Center from #Chopper2. Info: https://t.co/WBtMpVFWoY pic.twitter.com/NpZ48oVc7z
— KATU News (@KATUNews) May 27, 2017
The Oregon State Medical Examiner was scheduled to conduct autopsies on the two deceased victims late Saturday morning. After the autopsies, police said the identities of all three victims will be released.
The FBI released a statement Friday night saying it was aware of the stabbings in Portland and that it’s offering any resource that may assist local police in their investigation.
“We will certainly be looking at the facts and evidence as the investigation unfolds to determine whether there is any potential federal violation,” the FBI said in its statement. “At the core of the FBI’s mission is the belief that every person has the right to live, work and worship in this country without fear. Hate and bigotry have no place in our community, and we will not allow violence in the name of hate to go unanswered.”