Woman Killed Attending East Bank Esplanade Drum Circle Identified

PORTLAND, OR — Ash Smith was 31 and homeless when she was shot in the head and killed by someone she'd likely never met, according to Portland police. Smith was attending a drum circle on May 8 at Eastbank Esplanade when she was killed, police said.

It was around 11:45 p.m. when a man walked up behind her and shot her in the head, police said.

The man who shot her was later identified by police as 25-year-old Wyatt Storm Belcher of Portland. He is being held in the Multnomah County Detention Center without bail on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, according to court records.

Court documents, which indicate that Belcher had been diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder, state that after shooting Smith, he commented that he was "just tidying up."

He has pleaded not guilty.

A person familiar with the case who was not authorized to speak publicly on the case said that Smith had moved to Portland from St. Louis and had been studying electrical engineering at Portland State University before dropping out because of financial problems.