William “Liam” Spahnle-Bailey (Gresham Police Department).
Bullets pierced the walls of an Oregon apartment, fatally striking a 13-year-old boy in his sleep. Police have yet to say who killed young William “Liam” Spahnle-Bailey and injured a second, publicly unidentified person early Sunday morning. Nor did they elaborate on the alleged circumstance behind the multiple shots fired that night.
“You took my little baby brother from me. My little brother, my best friend,” Liam’s brother, Gordon Mott-Bailey, said at the side of the teenager’s father, William Spahnle, in a heart-wrenching interview with Portland CBS affiliate KOIN. “You took his son. You took my mom’s son. And it’s not fair,” Gordon said. “If we don’t get justice for him, it’s not fair. So they have to, they have to face what they’ve done and suffer. Suffer through it like us.”
“Hopefully, God can forgive ’em one day,” the victim’s father said. “Not sure if I can.”
There is a GoFundMe to support the family.
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Cops said that young Liam was sleeping in his father’s apartment at the Eleven Pines Apartments at around 1:30 a.m. in the Portland-area city of Gresham. Father and son were reportedly planning on waking up early to go snowboarding. There was a shooting in a neighboring unit, officers said, and a bullet pieced the wall, striking the teenager. First responders tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead after they took him to the hospital.
Another person, who police have not identified, was also shot. They are expected to survive. Gresham police did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request for more information.
“Today our entire community is mourning the killing of an innocent child,” Police Chief Travis Gullberg said in a statement published to Facebook. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, classmates, and neighbors. This shooting is a tragic reminder of how the impact of gun violence reaches far beyond the shooters and their intended victims. Our officers, detectives, and law enforcement partners will hold accountable everyone responsible for this child’s death. The City of Gresham, the Ceasefire program, and our community partners will continue working to break the cycle of violence.”
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“This an example of horrific violence in our community,” Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez said. “It breaks my heart to see the loss of such a young life. Any time a child is lost in our community it’s devastating. But when it occurs in such a senseless, violent manner it’s absolutely infuriating. We’ll do everything we can to get to the bottom of this and hold those who are responsible accountable for their actions.”
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