Image source: Screen grab from Oregon CopWatch News
On July 24, police officers responded to a call for domestic violence in Portland, wherein the man reportedly shot an officer. The officer returned fire, killing the man.
What happened
At approximately 12:06 am, officers from the East Precinct received a call from the area of SE 148th Ave and SE Clinton St, where a man had been physically fighting a woman.
The man fired a shot, prompting the officer to return fire, killing the man.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Video footage
Christopher Ponte and a friend were out filming police when they stumbled on the shooting.
“We got behind a cop car and figured out let’s see what he was doing,” said Ponte.
Two officers were on the sidewalk talking to a man, and it appeared that they were attempting to take him into custody, but the man struggled and resisted when they tried to handcuff him.
“He fought back, resisted, and pulled out a gun,” said Ponte.
“The guy pulled out his own gun, and the male cop put his hand on either the pistol or the man’s wrist.”
Ponte said the man fired a single shot from the pistol.
Read also: Calls for Stricter Gun Control Laws Ring Loud from Oregon
The male officer continued to struggle with the suspect after the gunshot.
At some point, the male officer grabbed the man’s pistol in one hand while struggling with the man with his other hand.
While they struggled, the female officer fired six shots into the man, killing him.
Christopher Ponte and a handful of others have a group called Oregon CopWatch News, whose YouTube channel uploaded the incident.
Ponte was in close range from the gunfire, and he said he understood what the police were doing.
“I believe the officers in their hearts were legit trying to defend themselves,” he explained.
“But the pistol was not in the guy’s hand at the time when she shot him 6 times.”
The neighbors
Cathy McCoog, a neighbor, revealed that she woke up around the time of the incident due to the sound of gunshots.
“I think I’d just dozed off,” she said. “I heard ‘Bang! Bang!’ I thought it was fireworks. I went flying out the front door and a cop said it wasn’t safe.”
McCoog retreated inside and saw a dozen officers moving towards the crosswalk of 148th Avenue and Clinton Street, near her home.
She said the police left about seven hours later.
McCoog also said she has a camera placed in front of her house, but it wasn’t aimed at the shooting scene.
Police planned to return to collect the audio.
Another neighbor also has a camera positioned towards the crosswalk, but declined to comment.
Read also: President Joe Biden Issues Statement on the Gun Violence Turning America Into “Killing Fields”
Meanwhile, neighbor Judi Christensen said she heard the gunshots and rushed to see what had happened.
“It was the most horrifying thing I saw,” she shared. “Because the girl was laying on top of him and she was just screaming ‘He’s dead! He’s dead!’ She must have said that 100 times.
She kept lifting his arm and dropping it back on the ground, trying to hold his face.”
According to Christensen, what followed was hard to watch.
“Putting him in a body bag was enough to make anybody just cringe or cry,” she said.
“My older son was almost in tears, he was so upset about it. It was so emotional.”
Police statement
Police Chief Chuck Lovell responded to the scene, saying, “I’m glad our officers are okay, and this highlights how dangerous this job can be.”
The mayor’s office was also notified of the incident, and Mayor Ted Wheeler made a statement on Twitter.
“My heartfelt sympathy goes to all who were impacted by last night’s officer-involved shooting,” he wrote.
“This incident is being thoroughly investigated under the leadership of the DA’s office. I look forward to hearing their findings.”
References:
Officer involved shooting of armed DV suspect
Portland police fatally shoot man they say was armed in the Centennial neighborhood
