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Portland Police Responsible for 20% of State Shootings
in First Half of 2024
Officers Shoot Two Men, Killing One, in May
as City Appeals $1 Million Townsend Judgment

Richard Perez Accused of Shooting at Police, Can't Speak In Own Defense

Perez, 45, supposedly shot at police as they tried to serve a search warrant on him on SE 124th Ave. Of course, we have to take the police's word for this since Perez is no longer around to offer a defense. All four officers are part of the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) which has been involved in several recent shootings.

PCW has expressed reservations about the implementation of Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) for many years, arguing that community recordings ("copwatching") are more valuable than shaky images from the point of view of an officer's chest. Coincidentally, the BWC program in Portland had a pilot from August-October 2023 and began a full rollout in June 2024. Just prior to the pilot, they shot and killed PoniaX Calles, a Black man, in July (PPR #90), then nobody until after the pilot was over-- and then five more people before the rollout. Officer Thurman was one of the officers who killed Calles. He was also involved in the in-custody death of Darris Johnson in 2011 (PPR #54). Officer Ramsey also shot and killed Alexander Tadros in 2021 (PPR #85).

The Bureau again held onto the names of officers far longer than the 24 hours allowed by the current Directive on deadly force (unchanged since September 2017), with their names showing up exactly fourteen days later. This is the outer limit state law gives police to identify officers when a public records request is made; the deadly force cases are of high public interest and the names should be released in a day as they were for many years.

Patrick Myers Facing Attempted Murder Charges-- Apparently for Pointing a Gun

Myers, 44, was also being served a search warrant when police say he came out of his house with a rifle and pointed it at them. Although no reporting indicates he fired the weapon, Myers is facing charges for attempted murder of police, menacing and unlawful use of a weapon (Oregonian, June 6).

The Bureau only waited 13 days to release the officer's name in this incident. Officer Wingfield was ALSO involved in shooting PoniaX Calles last year. PCW's online infographic of officers involved in deadly force since 1992, last updated in December, shows that only 13 of 98 officers who were then currently on the force were involved in two such incidents, and none involved in three. Now two officers have been involved in three (Thurman and Joshua Howery from the Holland shooting) and two more involved in two (Ramsey and Wingfield).

Proximity Death Raises Questions

On July 10, officers chased a man in a car who allegedly fired a gun at them (and a civilian) without causing injury. Police say they did not return fire, but caught up to him on SE 88th Ave where he ran from them and supposedly took his own life in a nearby park (Oregonian, July 12). Several community members said they believe the officers also fired their guns. While it is possible the man's death was a suicide, because this happened in East Precinct and not Central where the first BWC were implemented, we only have the officers' word about their role.

Townsend Verdict Contradicts Supposed Progress in US DOJ v City of Portland

The jury considering how to assign responsibility for Townsend's death were going to award a larger figure, but opined that he was 33% responsible for what happened when he advanced toward Officer Brown carrying a screwdriver-like tool. In all, the $1,030,661 ranks as the sixth highest payout since 1992, but it may climb higher if attorney fees are added. The City claimed that the outcome would not likely have been different if Brown had Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team training-- which was instituted after the US Department of Justice found the PPB uses too much force against people in mental health crisis (Oregonian, May 5). If that is true, then what good is that training?

A juror in the case reacted upon hearing the City intended to challenge the verdict. The juror, who is related to a police officer, called the City's appeal "appalling" (OPB, July 11). Well said. On July 23, the family's attorney Michael Fuller reported on LinkedIn that the court denied the City's motion for a new trial.

September, 2024
Also in PPR #93

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 #93 Table of Contents
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