Christopher Burris
Christopher Burris
Saturday, September 3, 2005
Age: 21
Location:
4800 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd at Wygant
Portland
United States
Hit-and-run accident. The bicyclist died at the scene. Christopher was riding with his girlfriend, Chakra, and her 4-year-old daughter. According to Chakra, “Burris told her calmly to move over onto the sidewalk. Seconds later, a speeding car hit Burris with such impact that he flew off his bike into the middle of the street. The driver, 41-year-old Anthony Troy Saunders, sped off.”
Motorist has been arrested and charged with manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
From an article:
Christopher Burris liked bringing people together. He especially liked it when it was his music that brought them together.
The drummer for two Portland alt-rock bands, Burris never did anything half as loud away from his music.
He was shy, goofy, calm. He had a dry wit.
“He would make these offhanded comments, and you’d have to listen real closely to get the joke,” his oldest brother, Forrest Burris, said. “But still it was so subtle it probably wouldn’t hit you until later.”
The youngest of three boys, Burris, 21, grew up in Jefferson and lived for a while in Eugene before making his home in Portland. His fundamental philosophy was to live his life in such a way that it had no negative impact on others.
He rode his bike rather than driving a car. He converted his 24-foot-long box truck to run on waste vegetable oil, and it withstood even his touring with his bands. He held hours-long conversations with transients, just so they would know someone was listening.
“He just made my life and my daughter’s life so much better,” his girlfriend, Lori Casey, said.
Casey, 23 and known to her friends as “Chakra,” said Burris was far more mature than his 21 years suggested.
“Everybody else looked at my daughter as baggage, as something they had to get over,” she said. “Chris wanted to adopt her.”
Chakra and Burris rode their bikes together often, usually with her 4-year-old daughter, Abi, trailing behind on wheels of her own.
Such was the case Sept. 3, when around 2 a.m. Chakra, Burris and Abi rode north on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Wygant Street, both riding in the street.
Burris asked her to move up on the sidewalk with Abi. She did. A few beats later, a dark-colored Nissan slammed into Burris and drove off. He died instantly.
The next day, police arrested Anthony Troy Saunders, 41, and took his damaged graphite-colored 2005 Nissan Ultima as evidence. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=33300
Saturday, September 3, 2005
Age: 21
Location:
4800 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd at Wygant
Portland
United States
Hit-and-run accident. The bicyclist died at the scene. Christopher was riding with his girlfriend, Chakra, and her 4-year-old daughter. According to Chakra, “Burris told her calmly to move over onto the sidewalk. Seconds later, a speeding car hit Burris with such impact that he flew off his bike into the middle of the street. The driver, 41-year-old Anthony Troy Saunders, sped off.”
Motorist has been arrested and charged with manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
From an article:
Christopher Burris liked bringing people together. He especially liked it when it was his music that brought them together.
The drummer for two Portland alt-rock bands, Burris never did anything half as loud away from his music.
He was shy, goofy, calm. He had a dry wit.
“He would make these offhanded comments, and you’d have to listen real closely to get the joke,” his oldest brother, Forrest Burris, said. “But still it was so subtle it probably wouldn’t hit you until later.”
The youngest of three boys, Burris, 21, grew up in Jefferson and lived for a while in Eugene before making his home in Portland. His fundamental philosophy was to live his life in such a way that it had no negative impact on others.
He rode his bike rather than driving a car. He converted his 24-foot-long box truck to run on waste vegetable oil, and it withstood even his touring with his bands. He held hours-long conversations with transients, just so they would know someone was listening.
“He just made my life and my daughter’s life so much better,” his girlfriend, Lori Casey, said.
Casey, 23 and known to her friends as “Chakra,” said Burris was far more mature than his 21 years suggested.
“Everybody else looked at my daughter as baggage, as something they had to get over,” she said. “Chris wanted to adopt her.”
Chakra and Burris rode their bikes together often, usually with her 4-year-old daughter, Abi, trailing behind on wheels of her own.
Such was the case Sept. 3, when around 2 a.m. Chakra, Burris and Abi rode north on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Wygant Street, both riding in the street.
Burris asked her to move up on the sidewalk with Abi. She did. A few beats later, a dark-colored Nissan slammed into Burris and drove off. He died instantly.
The next day, police arrested Anthony Troy Saunders, 41, and took his damaged graphite-colored 2005 Nissan Ultima as evidence. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter and felony hit-and-run.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=33300