Portland Man Who Accidentally Shot Himself, Then Claimed Homeless Man Robbed Him, Gets Sentenced

A Portland man who accidentally shot himself, then blamed the wound on a robbery by a homeless man, has been sentenced to a prison term. In a video appearance to the court, he stated his commitment to becoming a better role model for his children.

On Jan. 8, 35-year-old Marcus Davis Jr. was treated at a local hospital for a single gun shot wound to his groin. Records showed the bullet travelled through the top of his penis and his right testicle, then moved into his inner right thigh and exited through his lower right thigh.

At the time, Davis claimed he was robbed at gunpoint and shot by a homeless man at a bus stop at Southeast Powell Boulevard and 82nd avenue, but he did not give any specific details about the supposed robber.

Upon investigating the alleged crime scene, police did not find any evidence of a shooting. Later, police found a gun hidden in bloody clothes in the car of Davis's girlfriend. The gun also had blood and a shell casing stuck in the slide, while the sweatpants the officers recovered had a gunshot hole in it.

Based on the evidence, including the odd trajectory of the bullet, officers concluded the wound was self inflicted, likely an accidental shot that happened as a result of the gun being in his pocket.

At the time of the shooting, Davis was not allowed to have a gun because of prior felonies and because he was under federal supervision due to a drug offense. As it happens, the gun believed to have caused the wound, was also reported stolen in 2018.

On Monday, United States District Judge Karin J. Immergut sentenced Davis to five years and nine months in prison after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In January, Davis was granted temporary release for 10 hours so he could be present for the birth of his daughter, after which he returned to custody on his own. In a video Davis prepared for the hearing, he told the court of his commitment to becoming a better role model for his children.

"I don't think anything the court can say or the government can say can top the injuries he gave to himself to stop him from possessing firearms. Hopefully this is the last time we will see Mr. Davis," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lewis Burkhart said according to Oregon Live.