Tragic Loss of Joyful Sixth Grader Elios Renteria Sparks Community Support in Portland

Elios Renteria, a sixth grader at Hosford Middle School in Portland who died from a gunshot wound in the backyard of his Clackamas County home on Tuesday, 13 May, was a joyful 12-year-old child according to his peers at the school.

School Starts a GoFundMe Page

Paying tribute to Elios on a GoFundMe page started by the school and which has already raised more than $10,000 for his family to help cover funeral costs and other expenses, Elios is said to have had a ‘warm smile and gentle spirit’ that ‘brought light to our classrooms and joy to those who knew him.’

School principal Jill Liddle asked parents and guardians in a letter to discuss the tragedy with their children. The Hosford Middle School is offering additional help with a Trauma Intervention Program.

In a news release, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to a report of a juvenile shooting in the 5200 block of SE Glen Echo Avenue. The boy was suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. Elios was rushed to a local trauma hospital where he died on Saturday, 17 May.

The circumstances surrounding the boy’s death are under investigation.