By Zane Sparling | The Oregonian/OregonLive
An Oregon man whose birthday party ended in bloodshed was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in a 2019 killing.
Willie K. Mitchell was marking his 23rd birthday at downtown Portland's Shake Bar on April 18, 2019, when he, his brother and friends became embroiled in a gang brawl between the Hoovers and Bloods outside the Old Town nightclub, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.
Mitchell — an off-duty security guard who had no gang ties himself — pulled a legally-concealed handgun during the melee and fired a single shot, killing 29-year-old Trayontay D. Jones.
Mitchell split his time working as a guard in both Eugene and Portland, according to court records.
Mitchell's defense attorneys have described Jones as a member of the Piru Bloods and argue he was charging at Mitchell when their client opened fire.
In a statement read to the court at sentencing, Jones' girlfriend Whitney Rodgers said she had been calling her partner at 1:53 a.m. on April 19 — the moment he was killed – but didn't know he'd been shot. She went to sleep, woke up alone, and checked the location of Jones' cell phone. It was the State Medical Examiner's Office.
"That morning will forever play in my head," she said. "I will keep your name alive as long as I'm breathing. I'll love you forever."
Jones grew up in Vancouver alongside an identical twin brother and two younger siblings, according to his sister, Consuelo Aguilar. He had 10 children and served as the extended family's "protector," she said.
Jones' mother was still too wracked with grief to attend the hearing, Aguilar said.
Lamont Jones told the court he was driving in Texas when he learned his son had been killed. His mind went blank, he said. Breaking into tears, he said he had found God after his son's death.
"I forgive you, bro. I forgive you," he said, locking eyes with Mitchell, who had been out of custody before trial.
Judge Thomas Ryan sentenced Mitchell to state prison, with credit for time served and earned, as well as good time off and transitional leave. He will be required to pay $5,000 in restitution to the state.
Mitchell's family proclaimed their love to him in the courtroom and exhorted him to stand tall as he was handcuffed and taken into custody at the end of the hearing.
— Zane Sparling; [email protected]; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
An Oregon man whose birthday party ended in bloodshed was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in a 2019 killing.
Willie K. Mitchell was marking his 23rd birthday at downtown Portland's Shake Bar on April 18, 2019, when he, his brother and friends became embroiled in a gang brawl between the Hoovers and Bloods outside the Old Town nightclub, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.
Mitchell — an off-duty security guard who had no gang ties himself — pulled a legally-concealed handgun during the melee and fired a single shot, killing 29-year-old Trayontay D. Jones.
Mitchell split his time working as a guard in both Eugene and Portland, according to court records.
Mitchell's defense attorneys have described Jones as a member of the Piru Bloods and argue he was charging at Mitchell when their client opened fire.
In a statement read to the court at sentencing, Jones' girlfriend Whitney Rodgers said she had been calling her partner at 1:53 a.m. on April 19 — the moment he was killed – but didn't know he'd been shot. She went to sleep, woke up alone, and checked the location of Jones' cell phone. It was the State Medical Examiner's Office.
"That morning will forever play in my head," she said. "I will keep your name alive as long as I'm breathing. I'll love you forever."
Jones grew up in Vancouver alongside an identical twin brother and two younger siblings, according to his sister, Consuelo Aguilar. He had 10 children and served as the extended family's "protector," she said.
Jones' mother was still too wracked with grief to attend the hearing, Aguilar said.
Lamont Jones told the court he was driving in Texas when he learned his son had been killed. His mind went blank, he said. Breaking into tears, he said he had found God after his son's death.
"I forgive you, bro. I forgive you," he said, locking eyes with Mitchell, who had been out of custody before trial.
Judge Thomas Ryan sentenced Mitchell to state prison, with credit for time served and earned, as well as good time off and transitional leave. He will be required to pay $5,000 in restitution to the state.
Mitchell's family proclaimed their love to him in the courtroom and exhorted him to stand tall as he was handcuffed and taken into custody at the end of the hearing.
— Zane Sparling; [email protected]; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
