Portland police believe a shopper found dead Monday in a Fred Meyer parking lot in Northeast Portland was shot and killed while trying to stop a purse snatching. The initial investigation suggests Jonathan Trent, 47, witnessed the robbery and intervened, police said Thursday. A suspect or suspects shot him before fleeing, they said.

According to new details from the Portland Police Bureau, Trent witnessed the robbery and tried to stop it. “People trying to act as heroes do not need to have their lives ended in a senseless act,” said Christina, a Hazelwood resident. According to Portland police, his death is now being investigated as a homicide.

Portland Police investigators have launched a homicide investigation following a suspicious death case at a Northeast Portland Fred Meyer store.