In the spring of 2022, downtown Salem was shaken by two shootings. A Salem police effort to later arrest the suspect turned deadly as 16-year-old Bobby Brown fired rounds, believing rival gang members were shooting at him. Police shot and killed the teen, who was close to graduating high school.
As Salem confronts a rise in shootings and youth involvement in violence, Salem Reporter spent months digging into Bobby’s life and the circumstances that left a bright but struggling young man dead on a street in a Salem neighborhood.
Salem Reporter published this series in June 2024. Read all three parts below.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE.
Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
