|
|
Site NavigationHomeAbout us People's Police Report Shootings & deaths Cool links Other Information Contact info Donate
|
Portland Police Shoot Third Young Black Man in 2017; Late
August Shooting Makes Six Total Incidents While the US Department of Justice has emphasized de-escalation over use of force, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has now been involved in six shooting incidents in 2017, three times as many as 2016-- but equal to 2015 and 2012. With the wounding of Chase Arnae Peeples, 25, on October 25, the PPB shot three young African American men in a year, the other two of whom died. None were armed with firearms. On August 30, shortly after our last issue went to press, the PPB also shot and wounded Jesse Lee Brockner, 31. It's significant that the Bureau did not release Peeples' name for six days after the incident. Claiming it was to maintain integrity of the investigation, it does not reflect well on new Chief Danielle Outlaw that such lack of transparency has little precedence in recent Portland history. Meanwhile, the police shot and wounded a pit bull on November 4, marking at least 22 dogs shot (and 18 killed) plus one Taser death in 18 incidents over the 25+ years Portland Copwatch has tracked them. In November, the "Independent" Police Review (IPR) released its files on the off-duty shooting by former Chief Larry O'Dea (PPR #69), bringing to light a few new details and the outcome of associated investigations.
Police Review Boards (PRBs) have been held for the year's first two shootings, of Quanice Hayes and Don Perkins (per the IPR Director and PRB's November reports-- see PRB article).
Chase Peeples: Search Warrant Procured for Backpack Search of Unarmed Suspect The Oregonian reported on October 31 that Peeples, of Tacoma, was the suspect in a bank robbery in North Portland in which he allegedly gave his ID to the teller before walking off with over $2000. Officer Ryan Reagan (#36623) and another officer came upon him near N. Oatman Ave. and ordered him to put his hands up. The PPB claims Peeples reached in his pocket and continued toward them when Reagan "fired multiple shots." No report claims Peeples was armed. Although they needed some kind of probable cause to shoot Peeples, the police applied for a warrant to search his backpack, which they say contained most of the money taken from the bank. Peeples was sent to the hospital until November. On October 31, the PPB released his name only minutes before the Oregonian published information gleaned from a court affidavit about the robbery. After he was cleared by a Grand Jury, the PPB revealed Reagan fired six shots but only hit Peeples three times. Jesse Brockner: Another Bank Robbery Suspect Shot After chasing Brockner to NE 55th Ave near Burnside, leading to him crashing the stolen car he was driving, Officer David Staab (#28011) shot and wounded Brockner. Police say he sped away from an attempted traffic stop about 30 blocks away. They claim Brockner failed to obey orders, which led Staab to shoot him in the shoulder. Brockner was suspected in an earlier armed bank robbery in Washington County. While Brockner is white and Peeples is black, the two stories are similar: "fail to obey police orders" and you will be shot. The City claims both officers were interviewed within 48 hours, which was the de-facto policy following removal of the "48-hour rule" from the Police "union" contract in October 2016-- even though they took six weeks to interview the cop who shot Terrell Johnson (PPR #72). The "new new 48 hour rule" City Council adopted on August 24 did not officially take effect until September 27. Emanuel Manzanares' Pit Bull Wounded Less than two weeks after Peeples was shot, an un-named officer shot and wounded a pit bull belonging to Emanuel Manzanares, age 38. The two year old dog allegedly "lunged and snapped" at the officer who shot it. Manzanares was tased by police when he exited his apartment with a "foot-long knife sharpening rod." The Oregonian reported the dog was in stable condition after medical treatment (November 5). O'Dea's Shooting and Cover-Up Investigation End IPR investigated the incident where O'Dea shot his friend during a squirrel hunting trip in eastern Oregon, along with the allegations that his four assistant chiefs and Derek Rodrigues, captain of Internal Affairs, all failed to act when they found out about the shooting. The Assistant Chiefs were all cleared with "Unfounded" findings, while Rodrigues faced two days' suspension for not notifying IPR about the case. Rodrigues is apparently appealing the outcome, which is interesting since the public usually doesn't hear the outcomes of misconduct cases until they have run their full course. IPR presented all of its investigative files for public consumption (with some heavy redaction in places) for just 30 days, undermining the idea of transparency by flashing information and then taking it back. The files include an unredacted report from the Police Review Board-- which doesn't reveal much information. Some of the more salient points include how former Mayor Hales and his staff were willing to stand up for O'Dea because they liked him, rather than waiting to learn the facts, and that they seemed to be trying to sit on the information deliberately, scrambling once the Willamette Week was getting ready to break the news about a month after the shooting. |
January, 2018
|
|
Portland Copwatch Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.
People's Police Report
#73 Table of Contents
|