PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — Adau G. Duop was a 25-year-old mother of two, engaged to be married, when her life was abruptly cut short on Feb. 20, 2022 in a senseless act of violence. Duop was a refugee from Sudan who was building a life in Portland with her fiancé and their two children, a 5-year-old and 1-year-old.
The pain caused by her death has left an irreplaceable void, impacting both her family and Portland’s immigrant and refugee community.
Duop’s fiancé was also a refugee from Somalia. The family belonged to the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization, or CAIRO.
Not long after the shooting, the CAIRO community reflected on the loss of Duop in an interview with KGW.
“What was unique to this is it hit home,” said Abdikadir Bashir, founding executive director of CAIRO. “It’s not surprising to see they were together in a car. That’s the kind of family they are. What a tragedy.”
According to Portland police, Duop was in a vehicle with her family, coming home from grocery shopping, when someone opened fire at the car near Southeast 128th and Foster. Duop was shot and died at the scene. Her fiancé was hospitalized in serious condition, but ultimately survived. The couple’s 1-year-old was shot in the leg and their 5-year-old shot in the arm — both were hospitalized and later released.
“Most people can never imagine the horror of having another car pull up alongside yours and unleash a hail of gunfire on you. Duop’s family lived that nightmare,” said Kieran L. Ramsey, special agent in charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “It’s now been more than a year since she was murdered, while her family has been left to heal from their own gunshot wounds without her.”
The FBI is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Duop’s killer or killers.
Like a number of other gun violence victims in Portland, Duop was someone with no known ties or history of trouble, no involvement with guns or gang affiliation.
“She missed her younger son’s 2nd birthday, she missed her 6-year-old’s first day of school, she missed holidays and milestones, and her kids are growing up without their mother. This family deserves justice and the remorseless killers who did this deserve to be behind bars,” said Special Agent Ramsey.
At the time CAIRO started a GoFundMe to raise money for the family to go towards, funeral expenses, living expenses, medical bills and future educational expenses for the children. They were able to raise $25,000 at the time — but money can’t erase the agony for Duop’s loved ones.
Although her family survived the shooting, Duop’s children will have to endure a lifetime of heartache.
“Seeing your mom or dad being shot, and you shot in the process as well, your mom dying on the scene, that’ll probably never be wiped from their memory,” Bashir said back in Feb. 2022.
Now, justice and closure is what Portland police and the FBI are striving to get for Duop’s family.
“The FBI joins the Portland Police Bureau’s unwavering commitment to find out who did this and hold them accountable. We hope the $25,000 reward will encourage someone to come forward with information that we need to help this family heal,” said Special Agent Ramsey.
Crime Stoppers has also offered a $2,500 reward for information on Duop’s case, along with a number of other unsolved Portland homicides.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the FBI Portland Field Office at 503-224-4181 or submit a tip on their website. You can also contact the Portand Police Bureau via Detective William Winters at [email protected], 503-823-0466, or Detective Jason Koenig at [email protected], 503-823-0889. The PPB case number is 22-48396.
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