Portland Police have shot and killed the suspect wanted in a rape case involving a College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) student earlier this month. The deceased, identified as 38-year-old Humes, had been on the police radar for several years in connection with alleged sexual offences involving multiple college students.
Humes died on Tuesday during a police operation. Though he was primarily being sought by detectives in relation to the latest rape allegations against him, police sources said he was also wanted for questioning in two earlier cases involving female CASE students in 2021 and 2022.
According to the police, the fatal encounter occurred in the Norwich district of eastern Portland. Reports say police received information about a residence in the Ranch Hill area that is said to be he suspect’s home. They visited the property around 7:30 a.m. in an effort to locate and apprehend the suspect.
Superintendent Ainsley McCarthy, who commands the Portland police division, said the situation escalated shortly after officers entered the premises. “They approached a house occupied by the suspect. On entering the yard, they were attacked by the suspect with a machete,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy explained that the suspect was armed with a machete, and although the officers fired warning shots in an attempt to defuse the situation, the suspect continued advancing. Police then opened fire, hitting Humes. Hume was later pronounced dead at the Port Antonio Hospital when he arrived.
Following the incident, INDECOM confirmed that it had launched a probe into the shooting. Police officials also reported that Humes was being watched by the authorities for nearly four years due to his alleged involvement in other sexual offences connected to CASE.
The first incident occurred in 2021, when he was arrested after being accused of raping a student on campus. He was formally charged and later sent for psychiatric evaluation. Another CASE student accused him of rape in 2022, and he was again charged for the incident, but the student migrated overseas, and the case was subsequently dismissed.
The most recent allegation, reported on December 14, involved a female student who was allegedly assaulted after arriving at the campus. Reports say the suspect allegedly grabbed her after she exited a taxi near CASE’s West Campus. That report triggered protests by students, who called for improved security arrangements and stronger measures to protect students on and around the campus.
McCarthy noted that Portland has recorded an increase in reported rape cases since the start of the year and said investigators believe the suspect may have been involved in more than one such incident during that period.