'Hit A Lick': Why Alex Brodigan Was Murdered On June 19

GRESHAM, OR — After three days of investigation, four people have been arrested and a victim has been named in the fatal shooting outside North Gresham Elementary School Monday night — a shooting that appears to have been the result of a black market cannabis deal gone bad.

According to a Multnomah County District Attorney affidavit obtained by Patch News, Alexander Brodigan, 24, was killed June 19 by a single gunshot to his face. Implicated in what Gresham police are now officially ruling a homicide are Portland resident Austin Nathaniel Brown, 20; and Gresham residents Andrew James McMahon, 21; Tyler J. Mead, 17; and Amber Marie Wilson, 17.

Brown and McMahon remain lodged at the Multnomah County Jail; Wilson and Mead are being held at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center. All four individuals are facing charges of robbery and murder. And because the charges are for Measure 11 crimes, both Mead and Wilson will be charged as adults, Gresham police said.

McMahon and Brown both appeared in court Wednesday. McMahon reportedly did not enter a plea, and Brown pleaded not guilty.

Mead and Wilson's next scheduled court appearance is June 28 at 2:15 p.m. at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center.

The Plan

According to the probable cause affidavit, Brodigan's death was the result of McMahon's plan to "hit a lick," or get a lot of money quickly. Which of the suspects called Brodigan to the school is unknown at this time, but it appears to have been a prearranged meeting.

Earlier in the day on June 19, Brown and Mead were together when McMahon called. According the affidavit, McMahon said, "They needed help with 'hitting a lick,'" which Brown understood to mean stealing from a drug dealer, he told detectives.

They later met up at Mead's house in the 900-block of Southeast 212th Avenue, just a couple blocks west of North Gresham Elementary, the affidavit states. There, the three male suspects were joined by Wilson, who brought with her a black and silver 9mm handgun she'd taken from her mother's house.

Wilson told detectives the men planned to go to the school to "hit this lick," which she understood to mean robbery. When she asked them, "With what?" They reportedly said they meant to use the gun she'd brought.

The Witnesses

Around 11 p.m., the four set out to the school. According to the affidavit, McMahon had the handgun in his waistband when they left.

When they arrived, Wilson remained standing by a light pole on the edge of parking lot while the three male suspects continued onto the school property, where they found two men playing basketball at the school's court, the affidavit states.

The two basketball players told detectives the three male suspects approached them and spoke to them briefly, showing them the 9mm handgun while they talked.

One of the suspects reportedly pulled the handgun from his waistband, removed the magazine and showed one of the witnesses it was loaded, telling him "there was a guy coming with a quarter-pound of 'weed' and that they are going to rob him," the witness told detectives. The witness reportedly asked the gunman whether he planned "to shoot the guy during the robbery," to which the gunman replied, "I don’t know, bro. I'm thinking about it."

As the witnesses left the school, the gunman reportedly told one of them "that if he heard gun shots, not to be afraid," the affidavit states.

At some point between the basketball players' departure and Brodigan's fateful arrival, the handgun switched from McMahon to Brown, the affidavit states. Brown told detectives that while they waited for Brodigan to show up, McMahon got nervous about holding the gun and gave it to Brown.

Around this same time, the affidavit states, Mead reportedly left the school and joined Wilson on the edge of the parking lot, telling Wilson, "It's about to go down."

The Shooting

According to the affidavit, North Gresham Elementary School security surveillance footage showed a white, four-door Chevrolet sedan pull into the school parking lot at 11:17 p.m. Driven by Brodigan, the Chevy pulled into a parking spot next to a group of dumpsters where Brodigan was allegedly met by McMahon and Brown, who approached the driver's side window.

Standing at the window, McMahon began struggling with Brodigan over a bag of cannabis that was on Brodigan's lap, the affidavit states. Brown told detectives that Brodigan said something to the effect of, "We're not going to do that."

In response, Brown pulled the 9mm handgun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at Brodigan because, he said, "(Brodigan) wasn't giving (the marijuana) up."

Brown told detectives that he fired a single shot, hitting Brodigan in the face, the affidavit states. Security footage then showed the Chevy jerk into reverse and roll into the west wall of the school as McMahon and Brown ran west toward Mead's house.

At the sound of the shot, Mead and Wilson also began running back to Mead's house.

The witnesses who'd met the suspects earlier told police they saw either one or three people running from the school after the gunshot. One witness saw one thing, another witness saw something else. Security footage only shows two suspects, the affidavit states, and suspect testimony leans toward only McMahon and Brown being present for the shooting.

Police arrived on scene around 11:30 p.m. following a 911 report of a gunshot in the area. After finding Brodigan, Gresham police setup a perimeter and deployed a K9 unit.

Standing at the intersection of Southeast 212th Avenue and Southeast Yamhill Street, a Gresham police officer saw Brown running from Mead’s house and stopped him.

K9 units then led officers to the garage door of Mead’s house, where officers met Mead and McMahon. Shortly after, detectives found Wilson standing in Mead’s driveway.

Mead reportedly told detectives where to find the 9mm handgun, and Brown told them where to find the cannabis they’d taken — both of which were on Mead's property.

McMahon, when interviewed, claimed he knew nothing about any shooting, the affidavit states, and instead told officers he’d been playing basketball with Mead and another friend identified as "Lucky."

Brodigan just a few days earlier saw the birth of his daughter. His mother, Deena Johnson, had a YouCaring account setup to help cover funeral expenses.

On Thursday, Gresham Detective Brandon Crate told Patch the investigation "is far from over."

Image: MakyFoto via Pixabay.com