PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Protesters calling for racial justice marched outside of Portland City Hall Thursday morning in the name of Patick Kimmons, who was shot to death by police in 2018.
Kimmons mother, Letha Wilson, was there and said she appreciated all the protesters who have taken to the streets.
Kimmons, 27, was shot and killed by Portland police on Sept. 30, 2018 near Southwest 4th and Harvey Milk Street. The investigation into his death revealed that moments before officers fired at him, Kimmons shot 2 people during a fight. According to police, Sgt. Garry Britt and Officer Jeffery Livingston both shot Kimmons. They said he was armed and refused to listen to commands.
A grand jury ruled that the officers’ actions were justified. However, Kimmons’ mother is still fighting for officers to change their use-of-force protocol.
“I’m not going to ever be able to sleep. It’s a year and I still got anxiety,” said Letha Winston, Kimmons’ mother on the one year anniversary of his death. “There are different ways to stop a person from running — not shooting a person nine times, that’s excessive force.”
When Portland protesters attempted to establish an autonomous zone like the one seen in Seattle, some called it the Patrick Kimmons Autonomous Zone. Police, however, cleared the area before it was fully formed.
