Portland State University basketball star Deante Strickland, 22, dies after he is shot in the chest by older sister at home
PORTLAND: A star athlete at Portland State University was shot and killed on Friday allegedly by his own sister. Deante Strickland, 22, was fatally shot at a northeast Portland home with two other women, who were also injured in the incident.
On Saturday morning, Tamena Strickland, 30, was arrested on charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder, with family confirming that she was Deante’s sister, NBC News reports.
Deante’s uncle, Damian Strickland told The Oregonian that his niece shot Deante as well as her aunt and her grandmother, who are expected to survive. The publication also reported that a four-year-old child was present at the time of the shootings.
The deadly shooting was reported a little after 2 pm in the 6200 block of Northeast 42nd Avenue, near Holman Street.
According to the newspaper, Damian also said that his nephew's last words were “My sister shot me” and “I don’t want to die". “Everyone is shocked,” Damian Strickland said. “They are siblings.”
The victim was a two-sport athlete—who played football and basketball—at Portland State University and a former standout basketball player at Central Catholic High School. He first began his college at Casper College in Wyoming after which he was transferred to PSU when coach Barret Peery recruited him in 2017.
Perry, his coach, told OregonLive: “We are better for having had Deante in our lives. His smile, passion and energy for life was second to none. He lit up a room and made the people around him better in every way.” He then added, "He loved his family, his friends and everyone around him. He had great pride in being a kid from Portland and it showed in how he competed each day. We will never forget him and he will always be with us."
An investigation into Strickland’s death is still ongoing. Tamena was arrested at 6:52 p.m. at Central Precinct by a Portland homicide detective, who suggested that she may have surrendered to police.
She was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 9:33 pm Friday, according to jail records.