Suspected Mystic Club Shooter Released Into Community

WILSONVILLE, OR — A man suspected of firing off several rounds from a handgun in the parking lot of the Mystic Gentlemen's Club last Wednesday was arrested in Wilsonville later the same night for allegedly firing several more rounds at apparently random vehicles, according to court documents. No one was injured in either shooting incident, police said.

Newberg resident Daniel Frank, 31, was taken to the Multnomah County Jail by Portland police and charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and menacing for the Mystic shooting incident. Frank will likely face additional charges for what occurred in Wilsonville, police said. He was booked into jail on Nov. 30 around 2:30 a.m. and released to pre-trial supervision later that day.

Patch reached out to Multnomah County to determine Frank's current whereabouts and learn why someone accused of acts clearly threatening public safety was released back into the community.

County spokeswoman Jessica Morkert-Shibley told Patch in an email, "The releasing authority is the court. (Frank) is being supervised by the county’s Pretrial Services Program and he has been meeting the conditions of his release."

Those conditions include not contacting the victims of his alleged crimes, not possessing any weapons, not possessing or using any intoxicants, and not returning to the Mystic Gentlemen's Club.

Frank's next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 14.

According to police statements and court documents obtained by Patch, Portland police were dispatched to a reported shooting just before 9:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Mystic Gentlemen's Club, 9950 S.E. Stark St., near Mall 205 in east Portland.

A Portland officer spoke with several people outside the club who witnessed the shooting, including the club's bouncer.

The bouncer told police Frank had been "acting strange, like he was tweaking or something" and had also had strange interactions with the women entertainers.

At some point, Frank reportedly came out of the club to have a cigarette, and while doing so attempted to start up some of the motorcycles parked out front.

When Frank tried to reenter the club, he withdrew from the bouncer's attempts to search him, court documents show. When the bouncer asked Frank what he had, Frank replied, "You know what it is."

The bouncer said he then explained to Frank that he could not bring a gun into the club and that he would need to leave. Frank told the bouncer he needed to close out his tab and retrieve his debit card, so the bouncer went into the club to get it for him, he said.

After the bouncer gave Frank his card back, Frank reportedly shouted at him, "You going to go gangster on me?"

From other witnesses police learned Frank was yelling a lot, saying, "That DJ is racist to me because I am white" and "I don't have my debit card." At what point Frank said these things is unclear, but when the bouncer went to call 911, Frank allegedly drew the handgun from his pants pocket and said, "Do you want to die, b----? Are you a gang member?" according to a probable cause affidavit.

Chambering a round, Frank began firing into the air, police said. He then walked east from the club before turning and allegedly firing indiscriminately back at the parking lot.

After searching the area, officers recovered nine 9mm shell cases in two groups, court documents show.

Roughly two hours later, just after 11:30 p.m., Clackamas County deputies were dispatched to Southwest Wilsonville Road, near Southwest River View Lane, where a man in a black sedan — later identified as Frank — had reportedly pulled in front of another vehicle and was blocking the road.

According to Clackamas officials, Frank got out of the sedan, pulled out his gun, and began firing at the vehicle he'd blocked. The person driving that car was reportedly able to get away and meet up with deputies contracted to Wilsonville's police department.

Frank, however, returned to his car and continued driving down Southwest Wilsonville Road to the Southwest Ladd Hill Road intersection, where he again reportedly blocked the street and confronted at least two other vehicles — both of which were undamaged, police said. Frank then reportedly left his car in the intersection and began walking east.

Police said they found Frank walking on Southwest Wilsonville Road about a half mile from where he left his car. He was taken into custody without further incident, police said.

After taking Frank into custody, police learned he was also a suspect in the Mystic shooting from earlier that night — but no gun was found after searching Frank or the car he left in the intersection, police said.

Using Clackamas County Sheriff's Office K9 Ajax, officers retraced Frank's half-mile walk from the car and found a handgun in a nearby orchard, Clackamas officials said.

At the first Wilsonville intersection where Frank reportedly stopped, deputies also recovered 14 shell casings in the road, Clackamas officials said, noting that Frank was then handed over to Portland police.

When questioned by the Portland officer who was investigating the Mystic shooting, Frank asked, "Do you want to die?" court documents show.

In a brief interview with OregonLive, Frank said he "never fired a weapon at anyone or any vehicle," and "I never had the intention of doing bodily harm to anyone."

Frank also reportedly told OregonLive reporters that he'd been the victim in some kind of hit and run incident in Clackamas County, though police could not elaborate on that.

These charges make for Frank's first felonies in the state. His criminal history in Oregon is made up mostly of traffic violations and misdemeanor charges in Yamhill County, though it also includes two DUIIs — one of which occurred in Clackamas County — and a urinating in public charge from 2016.

Photo via Clackamas County Sheriff's Office