Site Navigation

Portland Police Kill Fourth Black Man in Two Years
Latinx Woman Not Hit by Bullets Makes More Deadly Force in 3 Months Than Any Year Since 2006

After several years where the Portland Police seemed to be shooting at fewer people, the PPB was involved in more deadly force incidents over 99 days than in any full year since 2006, when James Chasse, Jr. was killed (PPR #40). There were seven incidents from September 30 when they shot and killed Patrick Kimmons (PPR #76) until the death of Andre Gladen on January 6. PPB also had not killed any African American Portlanders with gunfire since Keaton Otis in 2010 (PPR #51) until they killed Quanice Hayes in early 2017 (PPR #71). Including Terrell Johnson (PPR #72), Kimmons and Gladen they have killed four black men in just two years. They also wounded robbery suspect Chase Peeples in October 2017 (PPR #73). In addition to the five incidents listed in our last issue and Gladen, the PPB shot at, but did not hit, Anita Ruiz, 34, during a domestic dispute on January 2. Of the seven recent incidents, four involved persons of color. This is not to mention that at least three (Richard Barry, who died in custody, Samuel Rice and Gladen) appeared to have been in mental health crisis, even though the US Department of Justice came to town in 2012 ordering Portland to use less force in such incidents.

Officer's Knife Used to Justify Death of Andre Gladen

Gladen, 36, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was still in a hospital gown and barefoot from a visit to a mental health facility when he knocked on Desmond Pescaia's door near SE 96th and Market, fearing people were trying to kill him. Pescia, a renter, asked his building manager what to do. Unfortunately, he took her advice and called police. Officer Consider Vosu (#56975), who has been on the force less than two years, arrived and struggled with Gladen, allowing himself to be backed into a rear bedroom. He claimed Gladen had a knife, leading him to shoot and kill the man. This incident is similar to when two officers came into close quarters with Thomas Higginbotham in early 2011 claiming his knife and the lack of an exit route led them to shoot.

Gladen's family said he did not own the knife pictured in the media. It was no suprise after the Bureau changed their policy to prohibit knives being stored in officers' outer vest pockets (Oregonian, February 27) it was revealed the knife in question belonged to Vosu, not Gladen. For an institution which constantly drums into their employees' heads not to let people get hold of their firearms, it is ridiculous that this wasn't a rule at the time of the shooting.

The family has hired a lawyer and is demanding justice. They came to Portland on February 22 to meet with Mayor Wheeler and Chief Outlaw, only to discover the Grand Jury had just come back with a finding that very day of no criminal wrongdoing by Vosu.

Anita Ruiz: Bullet Hits Wall

Ruiz, a Latinx woman who lived with her cousin Victor Noyola on NE 147th Ave, had been arguing with family members when the police arrived. Officer Onest Robert (#52367) said Ruiz came toward him with something in her hand, so he fired once, hitting the apartment wall. KOIN-TV reported the object was a knife and that Noyola said, "I don't know if it was the right decision to just shoot at somebody... that just doesn't seem right" (January 3). Three rare things about this officer- involved shooting: (1) the subject was a female, which is extremely rare but this is the second time in a year's span (after the PPB shot at Sarah Michelle Brown last March-- PPR #74), (2) the officer is African American, which is rare enough for a PPB officer much less one involved in deadly force, and (3) the person was not hit with a bullet-- which has only happened in six of 44 PPB shootings since 2010 (14% of the time).

Updates: DA Lets Cops Off Hook in Barry's Death; PSU Officers to Keep Guns; Chasse Cop as Mental Health Expert

In late December, Multnomah County's District Attorney upheld the Medical Examiner's finding Richard Barry's death last Thanksgiving was an "accident," saying Barry had a heart attack due to a medical condition in addition to the presence of cocaine and meth (Oregonian, December 22). That does not mean Barry would have died if he hadn't been "taken down and put in handcuffs" during a struggle with Portland Police and Portland State University Campus Police.

Speaking of which, in the wake of PSU Officers shooting and killing Jason Washington last year (PPR #75), the school ordered a consulting firm to examine the question of whether their campus officers should be armed. Though the consultants noted that 52% of staff and students want to take the cops' guns away, they recommended the officers remain armed, but just receive better training (Oregonian, February 24).

In Wheeler County, Chris Humphreys, the former PPB officer who helped beat James Chasse, Jr. to death in 2006, resigned as Sheriff and will consult to train officers "how best to intervene when someone is having a mental health crisis" (East Oregonian, January 17).

May, 2019
Also in PPR #77

Portland Copwatch
PO Box 42456
Portland, OR 97242
(503) 236-3065/ Incident Report Line (503) 321-5120
e-mail: copwatch@portlandcopwatch.org

Portland Copwatch is a grassroots, volunteer organization promoting police accountability through citizen action.

People's Police Report #77 Table of Contents
Back to Portland Copwatch home page
Peace and Justice Works home page
Back to top