Both directions of Interstate 84 were closed between Interstate 205 and the Cesar Chavez Boulevard exit in Portland for 13 hours. Police investigated a car chase that crossed state lines from Vancouver, erupted into gunfire and ended with the arrest of another suspect in the homicide of Kelso convenience store clerk Kayla Chapman, 30. (Jack Heffernan/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
A Tuesday night police chase and gun battle from Vancouver to Portland closed a major freeway for 13 hours, creating traffic chaos that affected tens of thousands of people Wednesday morning.
A few details emerged Wednesday about the incident, which ended with the arrest of another suspect in the robbery and killing of a Kelso convenience store clerk.
Erkinson K. Bossy, 23, and a second person whose name was not released, were taken into custody following the police pursuit.
A Vancouver police officer suffered minor injuries during the chase and was treated and released from an area hospital, according to the Portland Police Bureau.
One person inside the fleeing pickup suffered life-threatening injuries unrelated to the gunfire and was in critical condition Wednesday, police said. The other person in the pickup suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and was treated at a hospital. Portland police did not say whether Bossy was the person in critical condition.
Kelso police say Bossy was driving the vehicle involved in the Jan. 22 fatal shooting of 30-year-old Kayla Chapman, a clerk at Holt’s Quik Chek Market in Kelso.
Kelso police Capt. Darr Kirk said Bossy will be extradited from Oregon to Washington, a custody process that could take weeks.
A second arrest had been made earlier Tuesday in Vancouver, also in connection with the Kelso homicide.
Vancouver police arrested Nenemeny W. Ekiek, 21, about 3 p.m., after detectives located him in east Vancouver. He was taken into custody without incident during a traffic stop, according to Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp.
Citing police records, The Daily News in Longview reported that Ekiek was arrested on a felony warrant unrelated to the fatal shooting but admitted his involvement while in custody.
Ekiek appeared Wednesday afternoon in Cowlitz County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. He is being held without bail, The Daily News reported.
Investigators say Bossy and Ekiek were with D’Anthony Leslie Williams, 19, when he allegedly shot and killed Chapman; she was the only other person in the store at the time. Williams was arrested in Camas the next day.
The three Vancouver men went to Kelso to buy drugs, and when they were unsuccessful, decided to look for a store to rob because they “did not want to make the drive to Kelso for nothing,” The Daily News reported, citing Cowlitz County court records.
Police pursuit
The chase and gun battle began before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of state Highway 500 and Northeast Thurston Way in Vancouver.
Vancouver police had been looking for Bossy, according to Kapp, when an officer spotted him in a dark-colored pickup. Police attempted to stop the pickup, but it sped up, heading east on Highway 500 before turning south onto Interstate 205. The pickup crossed the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge into Portland before turning onto westbound Interstate 84, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.
Vancouver police pursued the pickup into Oregon because of Bossy’s alleged connection to the Kelso homicide, Kapp said, and because he was believed to be armed.
Kapp said one Vancouver police officer fired his weapon during the pursuit. The officer was injured, but Kapp declined to say more, other than to confirm he was not shot. He was placed on critical incident leave, which is standard protocol.
The officer will be identified today, Kapp said.
Portland police said the shooting scene started on I-205 and continued onto I-84, spanning more than 6 miles. Investigators have not said who fired first.
A witness who asked not be named said he was driving home on southbound I-205 in the middle lane, nearing the onramp for I-84, when he spotted numerous police vehicles in his rearview mirror. He said he saw a dark-colored pickup driving in front of the police. He said he thought the truck was trying to get out of the way, but as it and police cars passed, he heard gunfire and saw a flash in his peripheral vision coming from a police vehicle.
The caravan of law enforcement then followed the truck onto I-84, the witness said.
Police performed a Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT, maneuver on westbound I-84 between Northeast 33rd and 12th avenues, according to Portland police, and took Bossy and the other person into custody.
Aftermath
After the scene was secured, it took police many hours to investigate, with a last sweep of the scene made after daylight.
I-205 was partially closed and westbound I-84 was completely shut down. I-84 didn’t reopen until about 9 a.m., greatly affecting the morning rush hour in both Clark County and Portland. Crashes on I-5 and I-205 contributed to the problems.
Traffic on southbound I-5 was backed up almost to Salmon Creek; southbound I-205 was stop-and-go to Highway 500 for most of the morning.
The backups spilled into downtown Vancouver, blocking surface streets and forcing C-Tran buses to reroute. Express trips into Portland were delayed due to heavy traffic.
Portland police say their investigation is ongoing. Investigators ask that anyone who witnessed or has information about the incident call Detective Anthony Merrill at 503-823-4033 or Detective Scott Broughton at 503-823-3774.
Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an arrest in a felony crime; tipsters can be anonymous. To submit a tip, either download the app P3 Tips, go online to p3tips.com/823 or call 503-823-4357.
Assistant metro editor Jessica Prokop contributed to this report.
