Murder of Black Man in Gresham Now a Hate Crime

A white Gresham couple charged with intentionally running over a black teen from Vancouver, Washington, allegedly did so because of his race, according to a new indictment.

Russell Courtier and Colleen Hunt were arrested last month after running over Larnell Bruce outside a 7-Eleven at East Burnside Street and Southeast 188th Avenue in Gresham.

Courtier and Bruce had gotten into a fight in the store. It's not known what started the fight, but a woman who was with Bruce told officers that they had been charging their cell phones outside the store when they were approached by Courtier.

The two men started fighting and smashed into a store window, cracking it.

Witnesses told police that Bruce left the store and was pursued by Courtier. At one point, in the parking lot, Bruce pulled a machete on Courtier, according to court documents.

While Bruce tried to leave the area, Courtier and Hunt got into their red 1991 Jeep Cherokee and hunted him down. Hunt told police that she egged her boyfriend on, urging him to "get him, baby."

After running Bruce down, Courtier and Hunt told police they thought about calling 9-1-1 but decided to flee.

Police, though, had a good description of their vehicle and soon stopped it a few blocks away at Northeast 185th Drive and Northeast Sandy Boulevard.

Courtier and Hunt were then arrested.

Bruce later died from his injuries.

When Courtier and Hunt were first arrested, Patch reported that while investigators didn't think race was the primary factor, they were trying to determine what role it played in the incident.

That was followed by a report in The Portland Mercury that added some context.

The Mercury says that the 38-year-old Courtier, a convicted felon, has posted pictures on his Facebook page of tattoos indicating he's a member of European Kindred, an Oregon prison-based white supremacist gang.

The paper also indicates that Courtier has made racially charged comments on the page.

Mug shots courtesy Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. Photo of Bruce courtesy Gresham Police Department.