LOCAL NEWS

Eight suspected overdose deaths in Portland show 'a concerning pattern,' police say

Police said the deaths from suspected drug overdoses between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon were most likely from fentanyl.

Credit: KGW
Author: KGW Staff
Published: 11:38 PM PDT May 14, 2023
Updated: 11:38 PM PDT May 14, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. — Authorities are worried that a potentially dangerous batch of drugs is making rounds on the streets after eight people died between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon from suspected drug overdoses across the city. ... Police said six of the deaths are most likely from fentanyl. At least seven were men.

The Medical Examiner’s office and the Portland Police Bureau's Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit (NOC) are investigating all of the cases and investigators say there is a concerning pattern.

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There were two deaths on Friday; a 38-year-old man inside an apartment on East Burnside Street near 122nd Avenue and a 42-year-old man in a tent on Southeast Rhine Street near 82nd Avenue.

Saturday saw five more. A 47-year-old man died in a vehicle in Sellwood Riverfront Park, another died in a grassy area at West Burnside Street and Northwest 8th Avenue, a 69-year-old man died in an apartment on Northwest Naito Parkway near the Steel Bridge, and two more, ages 37 and 49 passed away in an apartment on Northeast Sandy Boulevard near 162nd Avenue.

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