HILLSBORO, Ore- On December 18, 2024, a Washington County jury found Jimmy Travon Pierce, age 39, guilty of murder in the second degree with a firearm and attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Alyssa Camp prosecuted this case before Judge Oscar Garcia.
In the early morning hours of May 19, 2017, officers were dispatched to the Xpose nightclub in Beaverton, Oregon after a report of a shooting. They found the murder victim in this case, Ramon Harris, suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. He was rushed to the hospital but later died as a result of the shooting. Police also contacted Robert Nelson, the attempted murder victim, at a nearby apartment complex. Mr. Nelson reported having to dive behind parked vehicles to avoid being shot. Those vehicles, a Chrysler 300 and a limo bus, both had bullet damage. Investigators recovered a total of eight spent shell casings at the Xpose scene. The shooter, Mr. Pierce, fled the area before police arrived.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage taken from inside Xpose and saw that Mr. Pierce was inside the club with his gang associates when the victims entered the club with a group of friends. Both groups of men had ties to various Portland criminal gangs and began arguing with each other. Mr. Pierce was seen exiting the club shortly before Mr. Harris and Mr. Nelson. The shooting then occurred in the parking lot.
Investigators were able to link the spent shell casings at the Xpose scene to a separate shooting in Southeast Portland that occurred six days earlier using the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). That shooting location allowed investigators to obtain cell phone data, pursuant to search warrants, linking Mr. Pierce to both shooting locations. Additionally, DNA evidence collected at the Xpose scene was later confirmed to match Mr. Pierce.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the work of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Beaverton Police Department, and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory on this case. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled on January 2, 2025. Until then, Mr. Pierce remains in the custody of the Washington County Jail without bail pending his sentencing.
