Updated at 11:20 p.m.

Demonstrators blocked a section of a downtown Portland street for hours Monday where a 27-year-old man was fatally shot by police, calling for answers on why officers killed him.

About 150 people gathered near Southwest 4th Avenue and Harvey Milk Street for a vigil in memory of Patrick Kimmons. Yellow caution tape that ran from a public parking lot to a strip club blocked the street from traffic. A memorial with signs, pictures of Kimmons and candles lined the sidewalk just outside the parking lot.

The crowd chanted Kimmons' name, yelled that he mattered, that all black lives matter and that there wouldn't be any peace without justice. As of 8 p.m., the street was still blocked with demonstrators.

Family and friends described Kimmons as a father of three who loved his kids, the Trail Blazers and the Seattle Seahawks. The North Portland native was working hard to make up for past mistakes that led to prior arrests.

Kimmons is the second person killed by Portland police in 2018 and the third killed this year in a police shooting in Portland.

Several people gathered at the vigil said they hope police are transparent and explain why they didn't opt to shoot to injure him.

"We were so proud of him because he wanted to be a better man, a better example to his kids," said Sequoia Turner, Kimmons' partner for nine years and mother to his 3- and 6-year-old boys. "It's scary because I thought I would have lost him to the streets long before the police."

The couple's sons and Kimmons' 9-year-old daughter were among the crowd, along with other relatives. Some wore T-shirts with his face printed alongside the message #justiceforpat.

Demonstrators gathered around Kimmons' relatives at one point and prayed for the family.

Joe Keller, whose son Deontae was fatally shot by Portland police in 1996, told the crowd through a megaphone to continue supporting Kimmons' family.

"Babies without a father," Keller said. "That's not a good thing."

He later told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he is saddened that black men such as his son, Kimmons and others across the country continue to be killed by police officers.

"You would think in all this time that police officers would be trained more in other ways to handle situations so they don't end like this," said Keller, 62. "The cops shouldn't be judge, jury and executioner, but in a lot of cases they are. It hurts every time this happens."

Two Portland officers are on paid administrative leave as police continue to investigate the shooting, which took place early Sunday.

Central Precinct Sgt. Garry Britt and Officer Jeffrey Livingston were patrolling the downtown area early Sunday when a shooting occurred near Southwest Third Avenue and Harvey Milk Street (formerly Stark) and injured two people.

Britt and Livingston at some point encountered Kimmons and fired at him. He later died at a hospital, police said. One gun was found near Kimmons and other guns were found by police in the area, according to police. Two other men suffering from gunshot wounds were taken to a hospital in private vehicles and are expected to survive. Police believe they were injured before officers arrived.

Police haven't said what prompted the shooting that drew officers to the scene. They also have not confirmed how many shots were fired or where Kimmons was hit. Surveillance video in the area is being reviewed by investigators.

Police sources told The Oregonian/Oregonlive that Britt and Livingston fired fewer than 10 shots. Britt, who has been with the police bureau for 10 years, and Livingston, with the bureau for one year, encountered Kimmons as he turned toward them holding a gun and fired at him, sources said.

Investigators found five guns at the scene of the shooting, including some discovered in or around cars searched in the lot. It's not clear who owned the guns.

A witness described the shooting differently than police sources.

Ayan Aden said she was stopped early Sunday in a public parking lot near Southwest Fourth Avenue and Harvey Milk Street with her boyfriend when she heard yelling. Aden said she and her boyfriend saw Kimmons run from Fourth Avenue through the parking lot, drop a gun near the car she was in and keep running.

Aden said she heard who she thought were officers yell "stop," twice and then open fire immediately after. She said her boyfriend told her to duck down once the gunfire began. Two bullets hit the passenger side of the car, but neither of them were hit.

Aden said she and her boyfriend were ordered to remain in the car by police for several hours and were questioned if they knew Kimmons because the gun was near their car. She said they didn't know him. She said she also didn't know how many shots were fired.

"The shooting was excessive," said Aden, 18, at the vigil. "He was clearly running away and threw the gun away."

Letha Winston, Kimmons' mother, started a GoFundMe site to help pay for her son's funeral. On it, she wrote that her son was shot in the back and leg as he was running away and struck 16 times. Turner said Winston told her she was informed of those details by a Portland police sergeant.

Winston didn't attend Monday's vigil.

Kalil Whitlow, Kimmons' younger brother, said Kimmons was a member of the Rolling 60s Crips but gave up being an active member in the gang to focus on raising his kids. Whitlow said he didn't know the specifics of the initial shooting that drew police, but said it stemmed from Kimmons being recognized by members of a rival group.

"My bro was a good person," said Whitlow, 23. "I still can't believe he's gone."

Turner said the family is still waiting for more information to come to light, particularly from any surveillance footage in the area.

"He didn't have to die," she said.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey