An Oregon man is in police custody following a stabbing incident on a light-rail train that claimed the lives of two people and left one injured.
Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, Oregon, and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, of southeast Portland were both killed in Friday’s attack. Best died at the scene and Namkai Meche died at the hospital. The Oregon State Medical Examiner is conducting autopsies on Best and Namkai Meche on Sunday, according to the police.
The victim who was injured in the attack has been identified as Micah David-Cole Fletcher, 21, also of southeast Portland. He remains in a Portland hospital being treated for serious but not believed to be life-threatening injuries, according to the police.
The victims had intervened to stop a man who was allegedly directing slurs at two teenaged girls who witnesses described as Muslim, Portland police Sgt. Pete Simpson told CNN. According to one of the girls’ mothers, one of them was wearing a hijab.
The Portland Police department said in its statement that “preliminary information indicates that the suspect was on the MAX train yelling various remarks that would best be characterized as hate speech toward a variety of ethnicities and religions. At least two of the victims attempted to intervene with the suspect and calm him down. The suspect attacked the men, stabbing three, before leaving the train.”
One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, another died at a local hospital, and the third victim was treated for injuries, reports the outlet. According to the source, the suspect has been charged with aggravated murder, possession of a weapon, attempted murder, and intimidation.
SOURCE: ABC News, People.com
Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Two Dead After Defending Muslim Women On Oregon Train was originally published on newsone.com
