PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A Portland police officer shot and killed an assault suspect in downtown Portland on Thursday afternoon, a Portland Police Bureau spokesperson said.
The suspect, identified as an adult male, was taken to the hospital but Sgt. Kevin Allen later said he had died.
Two others, who Allen described as victims of the suspect, were also taken to the hospital. Both men were expected to survive.
“They were very serious injuries, but we’re grateful to be able to report that they are non-life-threatening,” Allen said.
Detectives also recovered a box cutter from the scene, according to police.
Police say they recovered this box cutter with a broken blade. (Portland Police Bureau)
Police were called to Southwest Alder Street near Broadway around 4:30 p.m., Allen said. He said there was then a confrontation near Broadway and Washington Street where the officer opened fire.
“This was a very fast- moving call, fast moving police response. There was a lot of activity,” Allen said. “I know that every available officer in the precinct responded to that Code 3. I was hearing sirens, because I only work a few blocks away, so we heard everybody coming for this call. I was definitely a major, major priority call for us.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day and Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez spoke to reporters at around 8 p.m.
“Officers interrupted a violent attack,” Day said. “It just is a reminder of the call and the demand we place upon our first responders as we continue to try and manage the conflicts that we see sometimes on our streets.”
Witnesses told a KATU reporter at the scene that the suspect was going around and stabbing people with a box cutter, as well as physically and verbally assaulting people.
Kate Bolling, owner of Oregon Wines on Broadway, said the suspect came into her shop acting erratically.
“I had my door open to my business, and the person came in flailing his arms, crying, yelling, threw down his phone and his wallet and a small fanny pack on one of the tables,” Bolling said. “As soon as I saw him come through the door, I went to stop him from being further inside my business, and he started screaming at me that I was supposed to have a gun for him.”
“I got him to leave, and the security from the building pursued him,” Bolling added.
Samuel Meche, who works as a valet for the Dossier Hotel, described the moments leading up to the violent attacks.
“He was in the lobby, screaming at the receptionist, and he went outside and started attacking people on the sidewalk,” Meche said. “He was hitting them initially.”
Meche said the man quickly returned.
“He started fighting people again, and three bystanders made him lay on the ground, and they were just trying to immobilize him until he pulled out his box cutter, and that’s when he ended up attacking the security guard with his box cutter,” Meche said.
Meche said the man eventually ran down the street, went into a café and stabbed a worker.
“I was helping the victim keep the pressure on their wounds so that they wouldn’t bleed out,” Meche said. “We didn’t know how bad the wounds were, and they were in so much shock.”
Roads were closed for hours in the area for the police investigation.
The officer who opened fire was placed on leave, which is standard practice in police shootings.
“Whenever we see the loss of life, it’s a horrible tragedy, no matter what the circumstances,” Vasquez said. “In this particular situation, my office is here as we do in each and every case to oversee the investigation. Myself and my chief deputy responded here today and will continue to work through this entire process, and we’ll be very transparent with the community as we continue.”
Vasquez added, “We will look and make decisions about whether this case will go to grand jury or whether it will be issued a decline memo. That decision will be made in the weeks to come as we go through the investigation and really carefully parse through all the facts.”
PPB is asking anyone with information who has not spoken with police to contact the bureau.