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First Officer Involved Shooting in Six Months Ends with Fire,
Second with Suspect Shot Portland Police SERT Officer Peter McConnell (#28715) shot at 46 year old Craig Boehler, who allegedly fired multiple rounds at police on November 23. Early morning on December 17, officers Jonathan Kizzar (#46622) and Kelly Jenson (#46624) shot and killed 45 year old Darryel Ferguson at his East Burnside apartment after an argument was called in to 911. Ferguson had allegedly come to the door with an air pistol. Neighbors reported hearing multiple shots and seeing 16 spent casings (Oregonian, December 18).
Boehler was discovered dead by firefighters investigating a conflagration that broke out after
McConnell fired his
weapon into the building. The Medical Examiner (who frequently lets police off the hook for
deaths of suspects)
says Boehler was seriously wounded by three of McConnell's bullets, but died of smoke
inhalation.
It gets stranger: Boehler had another gunshot wound, the result of an argument with his sister and his 76 year old stepfather, during which the stepfather "accidentally" shot him at point blank range. The stepfather's call brought the police to the scene. A grand jury cleared police of criminal wrongdoing?even if their actions triggered the blaze. Boehler's shooting was the fourth incident with Portland Police this year, and the first since the May 12 shooting of Keaton Otis (PPR #51); the other, fifth shooting marks the highest number since 2006. Since our last issue, Portland Copwatch has examined Otis' autopsy report. Somehow, among the 23 bullet wounds on this young man who allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Police Officer Chris Burley are wounds indicating bullets traveled directly up his legs, and one bullet that traveled straight down from the top of his body and exited into his underpants. How officers who were supposedly only firing weapons from the driver's side of the car could have inflicted both sets of wounds is a mystery--perhaps Officer Ryan Murphy, who was on the passenger side and claims to have ducked out of the way when the shooting started, actually shot Otis--and maybe Burley as well? Otis's biological father, Fred Bryant, has been holding a vigil on the 12th of each month at about sunset at the corner of NE 6th and Halsey where Keaton was killed. Meanwhile, there have been at least seven other shootings in Oregon. Adding Portland's two, this means at 21, we've more than doubled the nine police shootings/in-custody deaths from 2009. --On December 19, Lebanon officers shot and wounded 17 year old Neil Warren Carillo, a runaway who allegedly stabbed them with a knife (Oregonlive, December 20). --On December 16, Eugene police shot and wounded Michael Mason, 27, after he allegedly fired a weapon in a parking lot (Oregonian, December 18). --On October 14, Tigard Officer William Cote shot at Richard G. Brown, 56, after an alleged "road rage" incident led to a chase in which Brown hit and wounded another officer. The shots missed (Oregonian, October 16). --On September 21, a Washington County Sheriff's Deputy, responding to a call about a man kicking a neighbor's car, shot Leonard Salaritro, 49, when he allegedly attacked the Deputy, (Oregonian, September 23). --On September 18, Oregon State Police Trooper Caleb Ratliff shot and wounded James Powers, 47, near Oakridge. Powers, a fugitive, allegedly pulled a handgun on Ratliff and an Oakridge officer; the Lane County District Attorney found no wrongdoing (Oregonian, September 23). --On August 26, two US Marshals shot and wounded Adam Berndy, 22, in Portland after he allegedly shot at them when they approached him about a Vancouver, WA shooting incident. A witness heard about a dozen shots (Oregonian, August 27). --In late August, a grand jury cleared Jackson County deputies in the August 11 shooting of Itali Arllana-Vargas near Medford with two of six bullets fired from a police rifle (Oregonian, August 27). In other area news on shootings and deaths: --Though Mary Diershaw was carrying a comb, not a gun, when shot on July 1 (PPR #51), the Washington County DA found no criminal wrongdoing by Corporal Daniel Cardinal (Oregonian, September 27). --A second jury considering whether a Washington County Deputy wrongfully killed Jordan Case in 2006 (PPR #51) found in favor of the officer. Attorney Steven Sherlag is considering an appeal (Associated Press, November 1). |
January, 2011
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Cop who shot Aaron Campbell fired |
