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A 51-year-old homeless man died of hypothermia in East Portland on Monday night.
At about 7:45 pm last night, Portland Police officers responded to a call for a welfare check on a man lying on the sidewalk on the 9900 block of East Burnside Street. They found that the man, Mark Elliot Johnson, had been dead for several hours.
Police say Johnson was homeless. His last known address was in Hillsboro.
On Tuesday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner determined that Johnson's cause of death was hypothermia.
Temperatures in Portland Monday night dipped to 29 degrees, with lows for the rest of the week projected to dip into the low 20s or high teens.
"It's a tragedy that we have thousands of people sleeping outdoors tonight," Israel Bayer, executive director of Street Roots, tells WW.
Both Bayer and the Police Bureau urged Portlanders who see someone who appears to be in danger from from the cold to call 911. The city and Multnomah County are operating warming shelters across Portland.
Police spokesman Chris Burley issued a longer statement: "If you see someone about whom you are concerned, such as not being dressed for the weather conditions, call police non-emergency 503-823-3333 and request a welfare check for that person. To assist someone in locating shelter and transportation to shelter, please call 211."