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Surveillance footage led investigators to suspect in 2012 Portland killing


Portland’s police chief is extending his thanks to investigators for solving a cold case dating back to 2012.

Police said Thursday that 31-year-old Zachary Phach and 27-year-old Khang Tran were indicted by a grand jury in the killing of Matthew Blanchard. The police department says the pair were responsible for the triple shooting that resulted in Blanchard’s death. It also left two of his relatives with non-life threatening injuries.

Police Chief Frank Clark said a nearby business’s surveillance video of an Asian man with a distinctive tattoo helped them narrow their search for one of the suspects.

Clark said a drop in crime during the pandemic allowed them to divert resources to investigate cold cases like this one.

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