An 11-year-old passenger died in an east Portland car crash Saturday after an allegedly intoxicated driver who’d been shot in the arm and leg drove more than 80 mph on Southeast 102nd Avenue and T-boned the car the boy was riding in, according to police and court records.
The passenger, Ryan Ambrose, was in the backseat of the car when 29-year-old Duprie Smith allegedly drove into his family’s sedan just after 10 p.m. The crash knocked the boy unconscious and he died at the hospital, according to court records.
Smith was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on allegations of DUII, reckless driving and first-degree manslaughter Sunday, court records show. He was released from jail Monday, according to booking records.
Police found Smith’s green SUV at Southeast 102nd Avenue and Washington Street, one full block from the site of the crash due to the speed he was allegedly traveling. He had been ejected from his car and had at least two fresh gunshot wounds when the crash happened, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Dashcam footage from the SUV that Smith was driving shows him entering the car and driving erratically, saying “where is a hospital” and “I am going to die,” according to the affidavit. The footage shows him driving through red lights and nearly crashing after hitting a curb, the document said.
Smith allegedly blew through a red light at Southeast 102nd and Stark before striking the silver sedan with Ryan and two others inside, the affidavit said. After braking, the SUV was still traveling at 72 mph moments before the crash, the document said. The speed limit was 30 mph.
Investigators allege that speed and alcohol were major factors in the crash, police said. Hospital staff told police that Smith’s blood alcohol level was 0.116%, the affidavit said. The legal limit is 0.08%.
Police did not release details on the shooting. Smith did not call 911 for his injuries, the affidavit said.
Smith’s next court appearance is Aug. 1, court records show.
