On the evening of May 29, 2021, 49-year-old Freddy Nelson Jr. was shot and killed while sitting in his truck in the parking lot of a Lowe’s at the Delta Park shopping center in North Portland. Nelson’s wife, Kari Nelson, was inside the vehicle with him around 6:30 p.m. Nelson was known at the plaza for collecting unwanted wooden pallets under an arrangement with the Lowe’s store.

A private security guard, Logan Gimbel, 28, employed by Cornerstone Security Group and working for property manager TMT Development, confronted Nelson and used his vehicle to block Nelson’s truck. After an argument in which Gimbel reportedly said Nelson was under arrest, Nelson and his wife locked the truck. Gimbel deployed pepper spray into the cab through a partially open window and then fired four shots through the windshield, killing Nelson.

Investigators found Gimbel was not certified to carry a firearm as an armed security professional in Oregon. Witnesses said Gimbel stepped into the truck’s path and was not in danger, contradicting his claim he acted in self-defense because he believed Nelson would run him over. Gimbel was arrested and charged in the killing; later developments include criminal convictions and a civil jury award to Nelson’s family.

If anyone witnessed the confrontation that night or has information about the security company’s actions at Delta Park, please share what is known.