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The Portland FBI announced Thursday that it is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Makayla Maree Harris.
Harris was one of seven people injured in a spray of gunfire near a line of food carts in downtown Portland in the early morning hours of July 17. Harris, who had recently graduated from high school, died at the hospital after being “severely injured” by the gunfire.
“It is believed that Makayla was an unintended target in a gang-related shooting. The shooters fired from a car in the street before it sped away,” FBI Oregon said in a press release Thursday. “It is also believed that many potential witnesses ran off after the shooting and may not have provided information to investigators.”
On Thursday, a mother of one of one of the victims from the July 17 shooting also shared a statement with the public.
“This is the day that took my daughter’s innocence away. Her life was violated when she was only doing what many young people do—hang out with friends. Out of the four young ladies that were hanging out that night together, three were shot and one of them lost their life,” the mother said. “Someone needs to be held accountable. Makayla will never be seen again on this earth because her life was taken too soon, and the other young women will never be the same because of that.”
The $25,000 reward is being offered in addition to a $2,500 reward offered by Crime Stoppers of Oregon.
“Innocent people pay a heavy price when violent criminal gangs battle on our streets,” Special Agent Kieran Ramsey said in a statement Oct. 14. “Despite this, law enforcement often finds that those who have information about these cases are reluctant to come forward. Whether it is distrust of law enforcement or fear of retaliation, the result is the same—the killings continue. We need help to stop this cycle of violence, and we ask anyone with information to find the will to come forward.”