Michael William Olson was 30 when he was fatally shot in Portland, Oregon, on September 30, 2014. At about 11:08 p.m. he was walking in the 6100 block of Southeast 52nd Avenue in the Woodstock neighborhood with a friend, heading to meet others, when they were confronted. Responding officers and medical personnel found him deceased at the scene from a fatal gunshot wound.

Investigators described the killing as a random robbery; there was no known connection between Michael and his assailant. A witness described a light-skinned African American or Hispanic male, and another witness said a group of four men was seen, one of whom grabbed Michael’s arm before the shooting. A forensic sketch was released and Crime Stoppers of Oregon has offered a cash reward, but no arrest has been announced.

Michael had moved to Portland in 2009 from La Porte, Indiana, and worked as a server and bartender at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company. Friends and family remembered him as kind, witty, an avid reader and a poet; a celebration of his life was held at his workplace. Does anyone who was in the Woodstock area that night or who knew Michael have information that could help bring answers?