On Friday, July 19, 2024 at 9:36 a.m., Portland Police Officers assigned to North Precinct responded to a report of shots fired inside an apartment in the 4200 block of Northeast Cully Boulevard. When the arrived they learned that an adult male was alone in the apartment, had fired shots, and had access to multiple guns. Officers surrounded the apartment and began a dialogue with the man. He refused to come out of the apartment and began throwing objects out of windows, including household items and small furniture.
Officers also learned that the next door neighbor was nearly struck by a bullet that pierced the wall from the suspect unit. He was uninjured.
Officers began evacuating units immediately surrounding the location, and sent an alert to the larger neighborhood using the Public Alerts system advising them of the police activity and requesting people stay inside for their safety.
The Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) and the Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) responded to the scene. As they were getting set up around the apartment, about 11:00 a.m., they reported hearing additional shots fired, saw the suspect through the window with guns in his hand, and saw what appeared to be multiple firearms being thrown out the window. In an ongoing effort to deescalate the situation, officers continued to use time as a tactic to lower the intensity of the situation, and engage in dialogue. The subject refused to come out, and was seen pointing the gun out the window.
At about 12:23 p.m., officers reported seeing fire from inside the unit. That increased the level of concern for safety of the subject involved, police officers, and the neighboring units (not all of which had been confirmed clear). The Critical Incident Commander ordered officers to deploy irritant gas and breach the apartment. The gas was effective and the subject came out and was quickly taken into custody. Portland Fire & Rescue responded to put out the fire.
The subject was transported to the hospital by ambulance for an evaluation. He is currently in police custody pending a criminal investigation. His identity will be released if he is charged with a crime.
The suspect who fired shots in the Cully Neighborhood is identified as David B. Peer III, 29, of Portland. He was interviewed by a Detective with the Portland Fire Investigations Unit before being booked into jail. He was entered into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Arson in the First Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Discharging a Firearm in the City (city code), and Recklessly Endangering Another Person.
Officers seized two rifles, three handguns, and one airsoft rifle.
