Portland State student leader fatally shot allegedly by former football player

PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) -- A 19-year-old college student and on-campus leader was reportedly shot and killed this week near a local bar.

Portland Police Bureau said in a statement that officers from their Central Precinct were called out to Southwest College Street and Southwest 6th Avenue on Monday, April 4, at 1 a.m. regarding a shooting. Officers reportedly located a deceased woman at the scene, who they later identified as Amara Marluke.

The suspect, 20-year-old Keenan Harpole, reportedly turned himself in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and was then transferred to the Portland Police. Harpole was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon. Portland Police said Marluke died from gunshot wounds and her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Marluke and Harpole are both students at Portland State University. In a statement, Portland State University President Stephen Percy called Marluke an "artist and an activist and a vibrant member of our community." Harpole reportedly used to play on the school’s football team, but he is not listed on the roster anymore.

A tweet from the university’s College of the Arts says she was a student in the school’s Sonic Arts and Music Production program.

KOIN-TV reports the shooting occurred in front of Mak’s Market near the Cheerful Tortoise Bar.

According to The Oregonian, Marluke was co-president of the school’s Black Student Union and was intent on fighting for social justice. Marluke’s parents adopted her and her sister when she was 9 years old.

Her father, Bradley Marluke, told The Oregonian, "To say that Amara was the light of our life, a beautiful and a caring soul, would not begin to do her justice. Her dedication to her family and friends was unwavering and that she would fall victim to a senseless and violent death is unimaginable."

investigators reportedly believe Marluke and Harpole knew each other, and suspect the shooting was related to domestic violence.

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