A Multnomah County case outlines how a targeted attack on two teenagers left a rideshare driver dead.
PORTLAND, OR – A late-night ride turned deadly when gunfire erupted into a moving Uber in June 2024, killing 42-year-old driver Joshua Kelvin and wounding one of his passengers. Nearly two years later, prosecutors say the shooting was a planned attack aimed at the teenagers inside the vehicle, not the driver who died at the scene.
An 18-year-old suspect, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, made his first court appearance Tuesday to face 10 charges, including second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The case is proceeding in juvenile court due to his age at the time of the alleged crime.
Prosecutors detail planned attack
Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin told the court the suspect and another person orchestrated an “ambush” targeting the two passengers, ages 17 and 18 at the time. Kelvin, who was driving them, was struck in the gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene.
Franklin said the suspect fired at the vehicle “17 to 18 times,” according to courtroom reporting by The Oregonian and local ABC affiliate KATU. One of the teens was hit multiple times, suffering serious injuries, while the other fled on foot.
The injured passenger was shot seven or eight times and continues to deal with lasting effects nearly two years later, Franklin told the court.
Additional violence linked to weapon
Franklin also stated that the teen who fled was shot later the same month with the same firearm used in the Uber shooting. While he did not directly accuse the suspect in that later incident, Franklin said the weapon was allegedly used again by the suspect to injure another person in January.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, a judge ordered the suspect taken into custody. He had not been detained prior to the court appearance.
The charges include 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 attempted commission of a Class A felony. A future court date has not been announced.
Joshua Kelvin, Portland Uber driver shooting, Multnomah County teen suspect, Portland ambush shooting case, Oregon juvenile court murder charges