PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Authorities with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office released new details about a shooting involving a deputy on Wednesday afternoon in Northeast Portland, saying an “altercation” between the deputy and two other people, a man and a woman, led to the described deputy-involved shooting.
According to MCSO, the deputy contacted a man associated with a nearby vehicle near Northeast Grand Avenue and Northeast Holladay Street. While the investigation took place, an altercation ensued, authorities said. Moments later, a woman also became involved in the altercation, which is when the shooting happened, authorities said. No other details about the altercation or shooting were immediately released.
Both suspects reportedly fled in a vehicle northbound on Grand Avenue. Although they were not pursued by law enforcement, the two suspects were involved in a crash with two other cars at Northeast Grand Avenue and Northeast Weidler Street, according to MCSO.
The male suspect was reportedly taken into custody and taken to a local hospital for injuries he suffered in the crash. The female suspect is being treated for gunshot injuries.
Both parties are expected to survive and their identities will be revealed when they are booked in jail, MCSO said. The other occupants of the vehicles involved in the crash were not seriously hurt.
MCSO says the involved deputy was uninjured during the incident and has been placed on critical incident leave. The deputy’s name was not released.
“The suspects’ reckless actions put many people in harm’s way. I’m grateful that our deputy wasn’t injured in this dangerous incident, and that the community members struck by the suspects’ vehicle will be okay,” said Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese.
A witness who saw the car crash said he rendered aid to the woman who was shot.
Steven Perkins told KOIN 6 News when saw the car crash near Northeast Grand Avenue and Holladay Street on Wednesday afternoon, he rushed to help the driver.
“(It was) a lot of chaos really fast. I was just there,” he said. “When I got there, I asked, ‘hey, did your head bounce off the window?’ She said, ‘no, I got shot by the police’ and I was like, ‘okay, that’s a whole ‘nother story.'”
Perkins says he told another bystander, who was on the phone with 911, to alert them she needed an ambulance.
“It’s not a normal car wreck. Then I asked her about her neck again. She said, ‘no, I was shot.’ So we figured out where, we cut her leg pants up and she was shot in the lower abdomen and her leg got busted in the wreck, that’s why she fell out of the car. From there we went to give aid,” Perkins said.
Portland Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office shut down several blocks in the Lloyd District as they tried to preserve evidence in this sprawling deputy-involved shooting.
“I guess they were fighting and they wrecked here at this intersection,” Perkins said.
Police taped off at least three separate crime scenes over the course of nine blocks. Perkins says an officer later helped them put a tourniquet on the woman’s leg and kept pressing on her stomach until medics arrived to take her to the hospital.
“I did tell her, though, ‘hey, you got a long road ahead of you, and it’s going to be a lot coming, but make better choices.'”
The Portland Police Bureau is leading the investigation, in partnership with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. If anyone has information, photos or video of the event, please contact Detective Tony Harris at tony.harris@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0441, or Detective Shaye Samora Shaye.Samora@police.portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-0768.