THE DALLES, Ore. -- A 20-year-old man died hours after a fight in the parking lot of a Fred Meyer in The Dalles, police said. It was the second homicide in the city within three weeks, but the two did not appear to be related.
Police were called to the report of a fight at about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to Chief Jay Waterbury of The Dalles City Police.
Mark Anthony Labonte was found injured at the scene and taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center. From there he was flown to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, where he died just after 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Waterbury confirmed Monday that Labonte was murdered. The exact cause of death was still under investigation. No arrests were made, but police had identified a possible suspect.
Another man, Scott Erlenbush, was killed in The Dalles on August 24th, but Wasco County District Attorney Eric Nisley said there was no indication the two murders were related.
