On the night of January 8, 2024, officers from Portland’s East Precinct responded to a welfare check in the Hazelwood neighborhood and found a man deceased in the 2400 block of Southeast 106th Avenue. The victim was identified as 30-year-old Deshawn Pledger, a Portland resident. The Medical Examiner determined Pledger’s death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound, recorded as the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Pledger was the only boy among five siblings and a father to two children, Isabella and Jullian. Family remembered him as affectionate and working to improve himself; he had recently been reconnecting with relatives and spoke about traveling to meet extended family. The Portland Police Homicide Unit opened an investigation and appealed to the public for information.

Detectives later identified 32-year-old Xavier V. Lucas as the primary suspect and an arrest warrant was obtained. The family was told about the development. Does anyone have information about Deshawn’s movements the evening of January 8 or contacts who might help the investigation?