Security guard sentenced to life in prison for fatal shooting in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — A Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge has sentenced a private security guard who was convicted of murdering a man in a Lowe’s parking lot in 2021.

Logan Conrad Gimbel was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, a jury found Gimbel guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Freddy Nelson while he was sitting in his truck at a Lowe’s parking lot near Delta Park in North Portland in May 2021. Nelson was 49 years old at the time. Gimbel was also found guilty of unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree unlawful use of mace. The jury found Gimbel not guilty of recklessly endangering another person.

On May 29, 2021, officers found Nelson dead around 6:40 p.m. in the parking lot on North Hayden Meadows Drive, east of Interstate 5. A medical examiner determined Nelson died from gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide.

Nelson’s wife filed a civil lawsuit against the owners of the property and the security company that hired Gimbel. Court documents indicate that there was a personal dispute between Nelson, the land owners and the Cornerstone Security Group.

The complaint alleges that security guards were told to look out for Nelson and to harass and intimidate him. After Nelson and his wife walked into the store, Gimbel blocked their car, then went inside the store and told Nelson that he was under arrest, according to the civil suit. The couple left the store, got into their car and tried to leave when allegedly Gimbel pepper-sprayed them through a window. Gimbel then stood in front of the vehicle and told them not to move. The civil suit claims that the Nelsons complied, but Gimbel fired shots into the windshield and hit Nelson.

Gimbel said he believed Nelson was going to run him over and that he acted in self-defense, OPB reported in an article. He did not have a license to carry a gun at the time of the shooting, according to OPB.

The district attorney’s office said Gimbel is currently in custody in Multnomah County and will serve his prison sentence at the Department of Corrections.