Financier Kills Man in Road Rage Attack, Then Shoots Witness Who Filmed Incident: Police

Geoffrey E. Hammond, 46, is charged in Portland, Ore., with second-degree murder, among other counts — charges filed after he changed his name

Everything happened so quickly. A black Mercedes Benz stopped in front of a posh downtown Portland hotel, blocking traffic. A gray Toyota Tundra struggled to get around. And “the two drivers exchanged middle fingers,” police later wrote in an affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

That’s when Ryan Martin braked his truck and got out, according to the affidavit.

He crossed the street to where financier Geoffrey E. Hammond was still seated in his Mercedes, loading his firearm as the man approached, police said.

Martin tapped on the driver’s side window, the men shouted at one another, Hammond rolled down his window and “immediately shot Ryan Martin in the chest,” police alleged in the affidavit.

Martin “fell to the ground and landed on his back in the gutter,” according to police, who noted his final plea to his assailant: “I'm sorry. I had a bad day.”

Hammond allegedly tried to shoot Martin again, police say, claiming that he was “unable to do so because the gun malfunctioned.”

Then, he allegedly flashed “a large metal badge at Ryan Martin as if he were a policeman,” and, according to the affidavit, as he tried to fix his gun, told Martin something to the effect of: “You are lucky I didn't shoot you in the head.”

More than a minute elapsed as Martin “lay in the street dying” and Hammond “kept trying to get his gun to work,” police allege.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

That’s when Sam Gomez, who had been presenting at a conference of the National Organization of Minority Architects in the Moxy Hotel, walked outside last Wednesday around 4:30, and saw Martin bleeding out in the gutter, and Hammond allegedly sitting in his car, gun in hand, police said.

Concerned, Gomez pointed his phone toward the scene to record a video.

In response, police say, Hammond shot him, too, hitting Gomez in the leg as he tried to run away. The bullet passed through one leg and lodged into the femur of his other, police said, noting that Gomez still managed “to record the act in a disturbing photograph on his cell phone.”

Per the affidavit, Hammond then drove away slowly – allegedly firing one more bullet, which went wide, in Gomez's direction – and then dialing 911 as he drove to the courthouse.

Hammond, 46, of Portland, has been booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of murder in the second degree with a firearm, attempted murder in the second degree with a firearm, assault in the first degree with a firearm and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon.

The Oregonian reports he pleaded not guilty. PEOPLE was not immediately able to reach his attorney.

Suspect Used to Go by a Different Name

Hammond, a financier, formerly went by a different name: Jeffrey Edward Mandalis, the name under which his social security number was assigned, according to public records reviewed by PEOPLE.

Hammond had been operating under his new name since at least 2019, according to Illinois court records obtained by PEOPLE. The following year, he registered two companies – Aequantium LLC and Aequantium Research LLC – under the name “Geoffrey E. Hammond III,” according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s website.

In 2021, the financier presented on tokenizing equity and debt instruments at a CoinGeek conference in New York. And in an interview there, he described Aequantium LLC as a startup futures fund operator, managing different commodity pools and futures funds.

“My novel approach was to tokenize” the interest of issued funds, he said in the interview, adding: “I was inspired by hearing about NFTs.”

Speaking without an accent, Hammond claimed to be Australian. According to public filings, his social security number originated in Hawaii.

In May of this year, Hammond represented himself as he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and, according to public filings, his case was discharged Oct. 5 — just days before the alleged road rage killing.

Portland police officers arrived on the scene last Wednesday afternoon and “began lifesaving measures on the victims, the Portland Police Bureau said in a series of released statements.

Alyssa Isenstein Krueger, a witness on the scene, later recalled to KOIN 6 News holding Martin’s hand as he bled out. “I just held his hand, and he was holding on, holding on,” she said. “And I mean, you could tell he was dying.”

Martin, 47, of Southwest, Wash., died at the scene, police said, noting that the Medical Examiner had determined his death to be “homicide by gunshot.”

Gomez was hospitalized and underwent surgery, police said, noting in a statement last week that his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Describing Hammond’s 911 call on the way to turning himself in, police said in the affidavit that Hammond “freely admits to shooting both men,” and that “he was justified in doing so because Ryan Martin menaced him and because Sam Gomez might have had a weapon.”

Hammond wound his way to the top floor of a parking garage across from the courthouse and soon after turned himself in. Hammond later allegedly told police that he knew Martin was unarmed, that he would have shot him again had his gun not malfunctioned and that he shot Gomez because “he thought Sam Gomez may have been planning an ambush which he recognized as a military tactic.” Police alleged Hammond also said he believed “groups of people” were “stalking him.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.