Detectives Locate and Arrest Suspect in Injury Shooting Case, Booked for Attempted Murder

On Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 4:05 a.m., Portland Police officers assigned to North Precinct responded to a report of a shooting at an apartment in the 1500 block of North Willis Boulevard in the Kenton Neighborhood (case number 26-89618). When officers arrived, they found a victim with an injury to his upper arm. Officers applied a tourniquet to the victim's arm and he was transported to the hospital by ambulance with an injury that is not life-threatening. The victim reported that he was shot while he was leaning out of his apartment window tossing a key to a friend down on the sidewalk.

The suspect was not immediately located and the case was assigned to the Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST). Detectives identified the suspect as Tony R. McDonald, 35, of Portland. McDonald was unlawfully residing in a vacant apartment in the same apartment complex; however detectives were unable to locate him there, and McDonald appeared to be actively avoiding police. Despite his efforts, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at about 8:00 p.m., ECST and the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) located McDonald at Northwest 6^th Avenue and Northwest Flanders Street.

They initiated a "high risk" arrest, meaning they challenged him from behind cover due to the possibility that he was armed. McDonald was compliant with police commands and he was safely arrested. He was armed with a handgun (photo), which was seized as evidence.

McDonald's wife, Lavon D. McDonald, 45, was with him and detained. She was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun magazine.

Tony McDonald was interviewed by detectives and then booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) on charges of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Assault in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He was also held on active arrest warrants.

Lavon McDonald was booked into MCDC on a charge of Felon in Possession of Ammunition.

The Bureau's Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and Enhanced Community Safety Team (ECST) work in partnership with the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) on a focused deterrence strategy to reduce gun violence called Portland Ceasefire. This citywide strategy centers on collaboration among Portland's Community Safety Division and Office of Violence Prevention, City leaders, the Portland Police Bureau, and community groups.

More information about Portland Ceasefire is available here.

The Focused Intervention Team (FIT) is composed of a Lieutenant, two Sergeants and 12 Officers who were selected to be a part of this specialty unit tasked with helping address gun violence in the city. In between emergency calls, FIT builds relationships with community members and proactively deters violence consistent with their mandate. FIT is overseen by a group of community volunteers known as the Focused Intervention Team Community Oversight Group, or FITCOG. The FITCOG commenced in June 2021 in response to the gun violence crisis in Portland to work with the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) and assist with recommendations to reduce gun violence through prevention, intervention, and response. For more information, see their website. FIT also collaborates with ECST, a team of Sergeants, Detectives, and Officers which focuses on investigating shootings.

FIT and ECST consider all gunfire unlawfully aimed at Portland community members to be attempted murder cases. Eyewitnesses or video evidence are crucial in solving these cases and these crime victims need people to come forward with any information. If anyone has information about any shooting case, please contact [email protected].

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