Updated: Tri-Cities woman charged with attempted murder in Portland airport shooting
This story has been updated to reflect current charges filed against Laura Marie Patterson of Kennewick by Multnomah County (Portland, Ore.) District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
A Tri-Cities woman faces four counts of attempted murder and six other charges after she allegedly fired a gun into the ceiling at Portland International Airport last week.
Laura Marie Patterson, 47, is being held in the Multnomah County Jail after pleading innocent in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Nov. 16.
Public records show she mostly has been living in Kennewick but has moved frequently and is originally from the Houston, Texas, area.
She lived in a Portland apartment as recently as 2018, according to LexisNexis, which also lists past addresses in Illinois, Nebraska, California and her native state.
In 2021, she received a business license from the city of Kennewick for Harwas House of Hoopla, listing an apartment in the Badger Canyon complex on Ridgeline Drive as its address.
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, Patterson is accused of walking out of a bathroom near the Portland airport’s security area and firing a pistol into a ceiling.
The sound of gunfire caused panic and sent people seeking shelter, said officials. The TSA checkpoint remained closed for several hours during the investigation.
Patterson was arrested at the airport by the Port of Portland police, according to jail records, which initially listed 16 charges, including 11 felonies.
The updated charges include four counts of second degree attempted murder, unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon in a public building or court facility, first degree criminal mischief, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a loaded firearm in public.
At her arraignment, Patterson’s attorney argued for lesser charges since she fired into the ceiling and no one was hurt or directly threatened.
But a county prosecutor said that during her arrest, Patterson expressed “homicidal ideation” and noted she had the means — a gun and bullets — to act on it.
Patterson has no history of felony convictions, according to online records.
Public online records show she has a Texas drivers license, attended Houston Community College and previously established a business, VMV Training Development, in Cypress, Texas.
