Background: News footage from the scene in Portland, Ore., where Joshua Kelvin was killed on June 6, 2024 (KATU). Inset: Joshua Kelvin (Portland Police Bureau).
An Oregon teenager was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of an Uber driver.
The 18-year-old suspect was 16 years old when he allegedly opened fire on a rideshare vehicle on June 4, 2024, killing the driver, 42-year-old Joshua Kelvin, and injuring one of his two teenage passengers. Almost two years after the deadly shooting, prosecutors in Oregon”s Multnomah County said the suspect was aiming for the teens inside the car when he ambushed the Uber. The passenger who was not injured fled the scene on foot. Kelvin was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to courtroom reporting by The Oregonian, the suspect made his first appearance in court on Tuesday to face 10 charges in connection with the fatal encounter including second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The case is currently being tried in juvenile court due to his age at the time of the alleged crime.
Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin told the court that the suspect and another unnamed person planned the “ambush” on the two passengers, who were 17 and 18 years old at the time. Kelvin, the Uber driver who was transporting them, was caught in the gunfire and died at the scene. Local ABC affiliate KATU reported that prosecutors said the suspect fired at his targets “17 to 18 times.”
The younger passenger was shot seven or eight times and sustained serious injuries. The older teenager ran from the scene on foot. Franklin said that teenager was shot later the same month with the same gun that was used by the suspect. He did not explicitly accuse the suspect of being involved in the latter shooting, but Franklin did tell the court that the suspect allegedly used the gun to injure another person in January 2025.
Franklin said the injured teenager continues to deal with the injuries he sustained almost two years after the alleged shooting.
KATU reported that the suspect was not in custody when he arrived at court, but a judge ordered him to be taken into custody following the hearing on Tuesday.
The suspect was charged with second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, first- and second-degree assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, and attempt to commit a Class A felony. His next court date was not available.
