Kenneth Voyles Seeks $10 Million After Portland Business Break-In Shooting
A Portland man with a lengthy record of thefts and burglaries is seeking $10 million from a business owner who shot him during an early-morning break-in.
The incident happened on March 6, 2023, at about 5:30 a.m. Kenneth Voyles, 43, was homeless and had methamphetamine in his system when he entered Touchstone Granite & Marble Inc. He reportedly pulled plywood away from a damaged garage door and cut through metal bars to get inside.
Voyles later said he was looking for food and a place to escape the cold. He also acknowledged that he intended to rob the business.
Inside, Voyles encountered 70-year-old owner James Grant, an Army veteran with a concealed weapons permit. Grant had been living in a back room of the business. He was not wearing his hearing aids when he confronted Voyles.
Grant threw a cup of urine and tiles at Voyles and ordered him to leave.
“I go, ‘Stop!’ Like, ‘Please stop!’” Voyles claimed in court, according to a report from the Post Millennial. “He’s assaulting me. He was pretty angry.”
Voyles said he apologized and tried to leave. But when he found a door locked, he grabbed a pair of bolt cutters. He claimed he only intended to cut a padlock and leave through the same opening he had used to enter.
Grant gave a different account. He said Voyles raised the bolt cutters above his head and moved toward him in a threatening manner. Grant retrieved his handgun from the back room and repeatedly ordered Voyles to get on the ground.
“At that point I turn to look at him, and I’m like ‘What the f*ck?’ And he goes, ‘You’re going to die,’” Voyles claimed.
Grant fired three shots, striking Voyles in the arm and torso.
“I said, ‘Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground,” Grant told the court. “And he looked very agitated. Looked like he was getting ready to attack me. Then I shot three times.”
“My adrenaline was flowing, to just protect myself,” he continued. “I didn’t want to do deadly force.”
Law enforcement never charged Grant. Investigators determined that he acted in self-defense.
Voyles later pleaded no contest to first-degree burglary of a dwelling and menacing. Under a plea agreement, he received five years in drug treatment instead of prison time. His earlier record includes more than a year behind bars for car thefts and other burglaries.
Now, Voyles is suing Grant and the business. He seeks $5 million in compensatory damages and another $5 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit alleges battery, assault, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The civil trial began this week. One key issue is whether the property qualified as a “dwelling” under Oregon law. The law provides stronger self-defense protections for homes than for strictly commercial properties.
Grant had previously received zoning violations for living at the business. He maintains that he was protecting himself from a potentially violent intruder at the place where he both lived and worked. The jury is expected to return a verdict next week.