A suspect who was armed with a gun is deceased after a confrontation with Portland Police Officers on a sidewalk near Mall 205.
On Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at 3:33p.m., East Precinct officers were dispatched to a warrant call to a large department store in the 9800 block of Southeast Washington Street in Mall 205. The officers were advised a suspect in a previously reported robbery was attempting to steal merchandise. The suspect had an active warrant for his arrest. Members of the Focused Intervention Team (FIT) were nearby and responded to assist.
When they located the suspect leaving the store, officers moved in to arrest him in the parking lot. The suspect started running from the officers. As the suspect approached Southeast 96th Avenue on the west side of the mall parking lot, there was a confrontation and shots were fired by officers. The suspect was injured and officers requested EMS immediately. As additional resources arrived on scene, officers approached the suspect and confirmed that he was deceased.
No officers were injured in the incident. Three officers used deadly force, two from the Focused Intervention Team and one from East Precinct.
Per PPB directives, Detectives with the Portland Police Homicide Unit responded to the scene to investigate.
“Use of deadly force by the police always has a significant impact on the members of the police bureau, the family of the involved person, and our whole community,” said Chief Bob Day, who responded to the scene. “I look forward to learning more about this incident after Detectives have time to do a complete, thorough investigation, and I want to assure the community that we will share more about the circumstances as soon as we can. But knowing that the suspect was armed is a sobering reminder of the dangers of policework. This has been a challenging week where Bureau members have been investigating homicides and multiple fatal crashes, and I’m grateful for the professional work being done by PPB members.”
Chief Day has briefed Mayor Wheeler’s staff and the City Attorney’s office on the investigation.
As part of the use of force review process, the Bureau will conduct an internal review of the entire incident, including the initial response, resources requested, tactics used, and post shooting actions. The case will go before the Police Review Board (PRB), which is composed of community members, Bureau members, and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.
