PORTLAND, Ore. – September proved to be Portland’s deadliest month of the year so far, with nine homicides recorded across the city. It marks the highest monthly toll in 2025, surpassing March’s eight killings, which police at the time had already labeled “unacceptable.”
A Troubling Spike Amid Overall Decline
While the September tally is alarming, city officials note that Portland’s homicide numbers remain on a downward trend overall.
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2024 (to date by September): 58 homicides
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2025 (to date by September): 34 homicides
That drop represents a 41% decline year-over-year. On average this year, Portland has recorded two to three homicides per month, compared to five or six per month in 2024.
September’s count, however, included a double murder, skewing the monthly total and sparking renewed concern about the city’s progress in reducing violent crime.
Violence Across Neighborhoods
Police say September’s homicides spanned multiple neighborhoods, underscoring that the problem is citywide rather than isolated to one area. Investigators are still working to determine the motives in many of the cases.
Among the incidents:
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September 6: A 22-year-old man fatally shot his 48-year-old mother and 10-year-old sister before dying by suicide in Southeast Portland.
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September 9: A 25-year-old man was found shot to death on a sidewalk in the Lloyd District.
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September 18: A fatal shooting occurred inside a Southeast Portland bar.
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September 22: Police responded to a deadly shooting in Northeast Portland.
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September 23: Another fatal shooting was reported in Northwest Portland.
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September 28–29: The weekend saw two separate killings—a shooting in Southeast Portland on Saturday and a stabbing at Dawson Park in North Portland on Sunday.
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September 30: The month closed with a shooting around 2:30 a.m. in the 6800 block of North Central Street in St. Johns. One man died, and police detained a suspect who has not yet been publicly identified.
Arrests and Investigations
Police have made some progress in their investigations. Arrests were announced in both the Dawson Park stabbing and the Southeast Portland bar shooting. However, several of the other cases remain unsolved, leaving grieving families waiting for answers.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) says homicide detectives are actively pursuing leads, but like many departments across the country, PPB continues to face challenges with staffing and resources as it responds to rising calls for service.
Chief Day: Violence “Unacceptable”
Earlier this year, following March’s eight homicides, Police Chief Bob Day described the level of violence as “unacceptable.”
September’s higher toll now raises fresh concerns about whether the progress made in reducing killings can be sustained through the rest of the year.
Community advocates warn that the uptick highlights lingering issues with gun violence, substance abuse, and conflict resolution in the city—problems exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic when homicides hit record highs.
A City Still Healing
While Portland has seen encouraging declines in overall killings compared to the last two years, the spike in September serves as a reminder of how fragile that progress can be.
For residents, the headlines are more than statistics—they represent real families torn apart, neighborhoods shaken, and a city still grappling with the aftermath of years of elevated violence.
Police urge anyone with information about recent homicides to come forward, stressing that community cooperation remains essential to ensuring that the city’s homicide trend continues downward.
