A 28-year-old man who investigators said felt disrespected after an argument outside a Southeast Portland strip club and responded by shooting into a crowd of people -- wounding four and killing one -- was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison.
Jontae Rydale Mixon pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and other charges for the July 5, 2014, incident that killed Hahrahcio R. Branch, who sustained a wound to the back in the parking lot of Soobie's Bar & Grill Strip Club, 333 S.E. 122nd Ave.
Branch, 26, had been hanging out with friends at the time of the 3 a.m. shooting. Investigators say Mixon had argued with another man about whether Mixon's friends had previously shot at the man. That man punched Mixon in the face, and someone else ripped his gold necklace off of him, investigators say.
Mixon left and sat in his car for a few minutes before driving up next to the crowd and opening fire, investigators say. He struck a woman in the knee. Another man suffered an eye injury from shrapnel. Branch's brother also was shot, in the ankle. Yet another narrowly missed death after a bullet grazed across his entire scalp, creating a long and deep wound.
Jontae Mixon
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kenneth Walker expressed surprise that that man had survived and told Mixon he had been within "a quarter of an inch" of getting the death penalty or life in prison with no possibility of release.
"One of the hardest things I do is watching young African Americans killing each other and destroying each other's lives," said Walker, who also is African American and noted that he grew up in a rough area of the Southern California city of Compton.
Less than a year before Mixon shot and killed Branch, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission had suspended Soobie's liquor license after finding the club had a "history of serious and persistent problems" that included drugs, serving alcohol to minors and violent fights, investigators say.
So the club converted into a "juice bar" serving patrons ages 18 and older from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The parking lot had become a popular place to drink alcohol, according to investigators.
Some members of Branch's family were accepting of the plea agreement, while others believed Mixon deserved a much tougher sentence.
Branch was about to become a father and never got to meet his daughter, who was born after his death. Branch grew up in Portland and had attended Jefferson High School before graduating in 2007 from Helensview High School.
Branch's family recounted how his mother died a few years earlier, and losing Hahrahcio Branch was another big hit.
"I hope you have remorse for what you did, and you think about what you did," said TC Villegas, one of Branch's aunts. "Just give my family an apology. Let us get something."
A moment later, Mixon stood up and offered this: "I apologize. I am sorry."
-- Aimee Green
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