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Oregon Law Enforcement Use of Deadly Force Increases
Rapidly in Late 2024, At Least 28 Incidents to Date
Most Agencies Still Not Reporting Deaths to State in a Timely Manner

While Portland Copwatch (PCW) was cautiously optimistic that there had been just 16 officer uses of deadly force in the state of Oregon in 2024 at the time we published People's Police Report #93 last August, 10 more took place in the two months after that, with two more in November. In other words, it quickly went from an average of two per month to over 2.5 per month. Three of the new shootings were by Portland Police (see article). While 16 of the people police shot at were killed, only three of the incidents have been posted to the Attorney General's website as required by SB111 (2008). PCW's letter urging the state's counties to upload 74 missing incidents has now led to at least 14 of those cases appearing (up five from our last issue), but that's less than 20% of the older cases, and 81% of 2024 deaths are still unreported.

Other than the three Portland incidents (leading to the death of one suspect), here's what happened in the other nine around the state:

--On November 26, Eugene Police chasing a suspect on behalf of a federal agency shot and killed a person. The feds and local law enforcement are investigating (KEZI-9TV and Eugene Register- Guard, November 26).

--On November 10, Lincoln County Deputy Benjamin Cloud, responding to reports of gunfire in Waldport, shot and killed Virginia Lee Morris, 38, when she came out of her house armed with a rifle (Oregon Public Broadcasting, November 11). This was the third officer involved shooting in Lincoln County in three months (see October 19 and September 5).

--On October 19, Lincoln City Police officers Cody Snidow, Jaylan King and Joshua Lane were investigating a domestic disturbance at a motel when they shot and killed Francisco Campos, 36, after they claim he reached for one of two firearms he had in his waistband (KGW-8TV, October 22 and Salem Statesman-Journal, November 26).

--On September 30, Milwaukie Police Sgt. Eduardo Sanchez and Officer Kwasean Akom shot and seriously wounded Hunter Newton, 21, who was unarmed at the time. His crime appears to be refusing to get out of his car after they stopped it (Oregonlive, October 2). It's also reported that they delayed medical response despite the fact that one of their bullets lodged in Newton's brain (KOIN-6TV, October 21).

--On September 24, a Milton Freewater officer shot and wounded suspected trespasser Daniel Soto Madrigal, 30, after he "resisted attempts to take him into custody" (Oregonlive, September 26).

--On September 14, in Linn County (near Scio), Benton County Sheriff's Sergeant Daniel Ball shot and killed David Tobias Tyler, 46, whom police suspected of hitting a pedestrian with his car and who supposedly fired a gun at them (KPTV-12, September 15).

--On September 13, Salem Police Officers Nathan Bush, Colten Ruyle and Faith Hovenden shot and wounded Daniel Lewis Garcia, 34, in Polk County when he allegedly confronted them with a knife. They had pulled him over for kidnaping a woman, who fled from his car before the shooting. In case folks don't know, Salem straddles Marion and Polk Counties; a Polk County Grand Jury cleared the cops of wrongdoing (Salem Reporter, October 11). Bush previously shot Arcadio Castillo III in 2021 (PPR #84).

--On September 5, Oregon State Police Senior Troopers Kyle Winship (of the SWAT team), Jeremy Smith, Zachary Bohince and Jacob Ferrer shot and killed Walker "DJ" Anderson, 38, who had allegedly fired shots at Lincoln City police a day earlier from a school bus he apparently owned, when they confronted him at a house. They say he was lying on the roof with a rifle and that the house was on fire. The October 29 Oregonian article on the incident says Anderson's body rolled off the roof after he was shot.

--On August 26, Beaverton Officers Ryan Garbutt and Juan Flores shot and killed Jacob Bundy, 39, who supposedly fired a gun as police were arresting him for shoplifting (Oregonlive, August 29).

There were only two incidents in November. If the police in this state manage to keep things civil, this could be the first year since 2017 with fewer than 30 deadly force incidents in Oregon.

January, 2025
Also in PPR #94

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.

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