PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the third time in a week, Portland police fired at a suspect, and for the second time in a week, the suspect died.
With several officers injured, and some even ending up in the hospital, the Portland Police Bureau says they have never responded to this much violence.
“The level of violence officers have been responding to is unprecedented,” PPB Assistant Chief of Investigations Jami Resch said.
In this most recent case where police shot at a suspect, they say it was an officer from the focused invention team who fired while they were responding to a call that someone was in the front yard of a house firing a gun. The suspect was declared dead at the scene, according to police.
Early Sunday morning, police shot and killed another suspect, who they identified as Johnathon Worth.
In that case, police say they responded to a fight between a man and a woman. In the surveillance video from Oregon Copwatch News, the suspect appears to pull out a gun and fire at the male officer. Then, the video appears to show the female officer taking out her gun and shooting the suspect on the ground six times from close range.
“My brother wasn’t in the right for trying to shoot — but six times is a lot for one man who is already on the ground under two officers,” the victim’s sister, Wednesday Lapin, said.
Currently, PPB officers do not wear body cams.
Commissioner Mingus Mapps released a statement on the recent officer-involved shootings, officer injuries and general violence in the city on Thursday afternoon, saying it’s been a “tragic week in Portland.”
“We’ve had 25 shootings, 13 shooting-related injuries, three officer-involved shootings and four officers have been seriously injured on duty,” Mapps said. “Each of these incidents is tragic and will echo through generations. I extend my sympathy to those impacted by this violence. I call for peace.”
He continued to say this violence is unacceptable and “attacking our public servants is particularly unacceptable.”
“The laws of our city need to be enforced for the Portland community to thrive,” Mapps stated. “I support our officers, the police bureau and everyone else who has taken an oath to protect Portlanders. Thank you for putting everything on the line day after day.”
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler also released a statement on Thursday.
“I’ve been briefed by both [PPB Chief Chuck] Lovell and my staff on the officer involved shooting situation that occurred last night. The number of recent officer involved shooting incidents—and the violence leading up to each—is alarming,” he tweeted. “The DA’s office is responsible for the investigation of each shooting, with the assistance of the Portland Police Bureau homicide division. I will review the findings once the investigations are complete.”