La Mota cannabis store employee charged with murder in shooting

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Police have arrested an employee at a North Portland La Mota cannabis store for shooting two people after an armed robbery at the store last week.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, 34-year-old Jason R. Steiner of Gresham turned himself in on Wednesday.

Police were called to the store at 9440 N. St. Louis Ave. on Thursday, Oct. 3, around 9:40 p.m. called. Officers found two dead people.

A dispatcher said the following during the incident: “The caller was an employee who shot all three people who tried to rob him at gunpoint.”

Police identified the two people killed as 18-year-old King H. Lawrence and 20-year-old Tahir D. Burley. Both were from Milwaukee.

“As a parent, I know it would break my heart if something happened to my children, no matter the circumstances,” said Tabitha VonKuhlmann, a neighbor.

It affects all families and I don’t know whether they had children. That’s what’s getting to me,” said a neighbor.

Neighbors say the store needs security. We reached out to La Mota for comment on this and did not receive a response.

Steiner is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Brent Christensen at [email protected] 503-823-2087 or Detective JD McGuire at [email protected] 503-823- 2081 and submit a reference case number 24-253852.