PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On April 16, 2021, Robert Delgado was shot and killed by Portland police in Lents Park. The 46-year-old man was mentally ill and living in a tent when police were called to the park on a report of a man with a gun.
Now, 2 years later, his family gathered at Lents Park to remember the life and death of Robert Delgado.
“I want people to know that he had a family out there. He loved us and we loved him — no matter what his circumstances were at that moment and time when they shot and killed him,” his sister, Tina Delgado, told KOIN 6 News.
She also spoke about the changes she’d like to see at the Portland Police Bureau. That story Monday on KOIN 6 News.
The background
Authorities said witness video presented to the grand jury showed police officers standing behind trees telling Delgado, who was about 90 feet away, to put his hands up and get on the ground. The video also showed Delgado appearing agitated and yelling at police.
Investigators said Delgado then produced what appeared to be a gun and pointed it at the officers, which is when Officer Zachary DeLong fired at Delgado, who died at the scene. Authorities later released the gun was actually a replica handgun.
Earlier this month, Delgado’s son filed a lawsuit against the City of Portland and police officers. According to the lawsuit, Officer Zachary DeLong and other officers were dispatched to the park, where DeLong “observed Mr. Delgado wearing no shirt and standing by himself in the park.” The Oregon Justice Resource Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of Delgado’s son, Skyler Delgado.