Geoffrey Hammond (let) shot and killed Ryan Martin in a road rage incident on Oct. 11, 2023, police said. (Screenshot of Hammond: KOIN; image of Martin: Portland Police Bureau)
A driver allegedly lashed out in a road rage incident, killing a man who confronted him for partially blocking an intersection. Cops said he then shot a bystander who started to record the incident, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KOIN.
Police in Portland, Oregon, named the suspect as local man Geoffrey Edward Hammond, 46. They said they were dispatched on Wednesday at 4;34 p.m. regarding a shooting at Southwest 10th Avenue and Southwest Alder Street. Officers found two men shot.
"They began lifesaving measures on the victims until Portland Fire & Rescue arrived to provide advanced care," they wrote. "One patient died at the scene."
Cops identified him as Ryan Martin, 47, of Southwest Washington.
"The other was transported to the hospital by AMR ambulance with injuries that are believed to be non-life threatening," cops said.
Police claimed that Hammond had been partially blocking traffic at an intersection outside the Moxy Hotel, according to the affidavit obtained by KOIN. Martin drove up from behind. Officers said the men flipped each other off, and Martin swerved around Hammond's car and stopped on the other side of the intersection. He stepped out to confront Hammond, but Hammond loaded a gun as the man approached and shot him in the chest.
"I'm sorry," Martin said, falling to the ground. "I had a bad day."
Police claim Hammond tried to shoot him again, and he did not because the firearm malfunctioned.
Documents said that according to witnesses, Hammond flashed something metallic to Martin. It resembled a police badge. While trying to fix the gun, he allegedly said, "You are lucky I didn't shoot you in the heart."
Hammond later allegedly told detectives he had probably said, "You are lucky I didn't shoot you in the head."
A bystander started recording the incident on phone, but Hammond shot him in the leg, officers said.
The defendant allegedly drove from the scene while calling 911 and admitted on the phone to shooting both men. He turned himself in on the top floor of a parking garage next to a courthouse, cops said.
He allegedly claimed he shot the other man because he believed him to possibly be planning an ambush, claiming to recognize a military tactic. But officers said they found no weapons on either victim. Hammond allegedly admitted to police that he saw that Martin was unarmed.
Police say Martin's family is asking for privacy.
Law enforcement booked Hammond into the Multnomah County Detention Center for murder in the second degree with a firearm, attempted murder in the second degree with a firearm, assault in the first degree with a firearm, and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
He is reportedly founder of a commodities future company named Aequantium. Previously using the name Jeffrey Edward Mandalis, he was charged in Illinois for charges including assault, vandalism, and domestic battery. He filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May.