Suspect's note doesn't explain Portland shootings

[January 27, 2009]  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The suspect in a shooting rampage outside an under-21 nightclub in downtown Portland left a note giving his car and PlayStation 3 to a roommate and said he was sorry but gave no motive, police said Monday.

Two girls died in the shootings Saturday night outside The Zone club, and seven other people were hurt. Many were exchange students at the club to celebrate a birthday.

In the note police released Monday, Erik S. Ayala, 24, meticulously lists off his bank account information and how his roommate can get top dollar for the game station. "I'm sorry to put all this on you buddy, good luck," Ayala wrote.

Portland homicide Sgt. Richard Austria said the investigation is continuing into what may have prompted Ayala.

"We are less than 48 hours into this, so there's a lot of information still to be learned," he said. "What we do know is this was not a targeted incident."

Police said there appeared to be no link between Ayala and the victims.

The dead were identified as Martha "Tika" Paz de Noboa, 17, who came to the Portland area from Peru to learn English; and 16-year-old Ashley Wilks, a Clackamas High School sophomore, who was planning to become an exchange student in France or Spain next year.

Police and local school officials identified five wounded as exchange students: Ana Zambrano Soledispa, 18, of Ecuador; Gonzalo Vasquez Orozco, 18, of Guatemala; Trista Chang, 18, of Taiwan; Susanna DeSousa, 18 of Italy; and Anne Sophie Rialland, 16, of France.

Two others wounded are a local high school student and the manager of a nearby bar.

Scott Bieber, the youth protection officer for the local Rotary district, says the organization plans to provide trauma counseling for the students who are part of their exchange program as well as their families.

He said Rotary officials will likely review precautions it encourages students to take while on exchange in the U.S., although there was no way the organization could have protected them from Saturday's shooting.

"It's hard to think that we would do anything different without letting them have the experience of being an exchange student in America," he said.

De Noboa was a student at a high school in White Salmon, Wash., said Superintendent Dale Palmer. Her hometown in Peru was Arequipa.

Cindy Garrison of the West Linn-Wilsonville School District said Rialland was released from a Portland hospital and is on crutches. School officials reported that Howard was released from the hospital.

Three other victims were being treated at hospitals as of Monday afternoon but more details were not available.

Ayala shot himself in the head and was in critical condition, police said.

Detective Mark Slater said police found Ayala's car, a case for the 9 mm semiautomatic gun used in the shooting, ammunition and the note he left for his roommate and family.

"To my friends and family: I am sorry. And to my friend: I am especially sorry," Ayala wrote. "I know it's not much consolation but as my friend and roommate you are entitled to everything that I own. Maybe these things can bring in a few bucks. Good luck in this sh---- world. Erik."

Ayala's roommate, Mike Delisle, told The Oregonian that Ayala didn't typically go to dance clubs, did not own a gun and never showed an interest in firearms. "I didn't see it coming," he said.

Ayala's family was also blindsided, Slater said. "They're upset. They're trying to deal with it. Trying to make sense."

[Associated Press; By MARY HUDETZ and RYAN KOST]

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