Posted: 12/3/2004 4:20:13 AM EDT
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Two Portland Officers Wounded, Suspect Killed in Shooting TERESA BELL Courtesy of KGW Portland, OR -- Portland police shot and killed a suspected truck thief early Thursday morning, but not before the man fired off shots himself and injured two officers, investigators said. The man spun around and shot at police during a foot chase and officers returned fire, killing the suspect, according to Sgt. Brian Schmautz with the Portland Police Bureau. One officer was shot in the leg and another was grazed by a bullet but police said their injuries were not life-threatening. They were taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland for treatment. As of noon Thursday, the officer with the minor injury had been released from Legacy and the other officer was about to go into surgery, according to hospital officials. They said family members were there for support and the officer would likely remain in the hospital several days. Schmautz said one of the injured officers is an eight-year veteran with Portland police and the other has been with the bureau four years but their names likely won't get relased until Friday for procedural reasons. The shooting occurred shortly before 1 a.m. in southeast Portland. Police said it started with officers noticing a 2003 Chevy pickup truck that was reported stolen less than a half hour earlier in Clackamas County. "The owner of the pickup truck had been awoken by suspicious sounds, looked outside and discovered the truck was stolen," said deputy Joel Manley with the Clackamas County Sheriff?s Office. Officers started chasing the truck in the 6400 block of SE 84th Avenue and Schmautz said the suspect eventually crashed into a house at Woodstock and SE 84th. Then the man got out of the car and ran for about a block before spinning around and pointing his gun at officers at 82nd and Foster, where the shooting occurred. Police said the suspect shot at officers first and they returned fire in self defense. "More than 50 (shots), there were so many shots... there was so many police," recalled neighbor Vadim Feygser. "The police were out here and they said 'you could get shot, get in your house,'" added neighbor Ron Smith. As many as 15 Portland officers were involved in the entire incident and investigators don't yet know who fired the shot or shots that killed the suspect, Schmautz said. All the officers involved were questioned at the scene. It took investigators several hours to carefully study the crime scene that was two blocks long. A gun that police believe was the suspect's weapon was recovered as evidence and an autopsy is also planned for Friday, to help police determine the man's identity. As for the house that the suspect smashed into, Schmautz said he did not know if anyone was inside when the crash happened. A fence was broken but Schmautz said the structure did not appear to be damaged. "We had two officer-involved shootings so far this year and now we've doubled that in the last week," Schmautz said. "The deep concern that we have is that both of these two situations in the past week involved armed suspects who challenged officers with weapons." Thursday's shooting brings the total number of police shootings this year in Portland to four. One of the other shootings happened late last month when police killed a bank robbery suspect who officers said came at them with a knife. Pretty good shooting. Hitting and killing a moving target that's shooting back at you. |
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As many as 15 Portland officers were involved in the entire incident and investigators don't yet know who fired the shot or shots that killed the suspect, Schmautz said. All the officers involved were questioned at the scene. Must have been a slow night.. And isnt it illeagal to have guns in Portland? |