The victim's husband says his brother walked over to Alexandra and “shot her in the back of the head at close range with a revolver."
Trigger Warning: This story contains details of gun violence that may be disturbing to readers.
Shane Finnell and his brother Jordan Arb got into a rather heated argument over the laundry on Sunday, May 16. Unfortunately, the spat over a simple household chore spiraled out of control, resulting in Finnell shooting his brother's wife in the head. Alexandra Arb-Bloodgood, 29, died at a home in the 8000 block of North Newman Avenue, police said, according to Oregon Live.
Finnell, 25, was arrested at the scene in Oregon's Portsmouth neighborhood just after 8:30 am on that Sunday. A statement by the Portland Police revealed that Finnell remains in custody, and has been charged with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon. He was in the front yard of a neighbor's home when officers responded to the shooting call.
An arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE reports that Finnell allegedly told police, "I did a horrible thing," right after he was arrested. The victim's husband, Jordan Arb, told the cops that the two of them had been arguing over laundry, during which Finnell threw a potted plant at Arb. At the time, his wife was sitting on a chair on the back patio facing away from Finnell, who allegedly walked over to Arb-Bloodgood and “shot her in the back of the head at close range with a revolver,” the court document said.
There have been no clarifications from the police about who lives in the home the incident occurred in, but court records from a dismissed speeding citation show Finnell listed a home address in that same block a month ago.
According to KPTV, the neighbor told the cops he was in his home when he heard a gunshot. When he went out to his front porch, he saw the suspect across the street, flailing his arms and looking upset. The neighbor then asked Finnell what happened, and he replied that he had shot “Alex,” his brother’s wife. When the neighbor questioned Finnell about the gun used in the shooting, he said it could be found in the front yard of the victim’s home.
When police arrived at the scene, the neighbor directed them to the gun and told them he was instructed by Finnell to call 911. It was reported that Finnell sat in the neighbor’s yard until officers arrived.
New York Post reports that the woman’s brother and their family are trying to come to terms with their sister's untimely death. “It’s the shock of something that should never happen to anyone, and you just never expect something like this to happen,” her brother, Matthew Bloodgood, said.
Bloodgood said words couldn’t describe his “very feisty” sister and shared a message for others in the wake of her tragic death. “If you ever have anyone that expresses any desire to hurt themselves or others, don’t hesitate to try to do something about it,” he said. “I mean that’s the biggest thing we can pull out of it as far as a lesson.”
Sadly, this shooting marks the 33rd homicide case in Portland since the start of 2021, including a fatal shooting by a Portland police officer of a man in Lents Park in April.
References:
https://people.com/crime/oregon-woman-fatally-shot-brother-in-law-suspect-over-laundry/
Cover Image Source: Portland Police Bureau
