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Other Shootings Pepper Greater Portland Area, State of Oregon

In the past few months, the number of police shootings in Oregon and SW Washington have been unusually high. Along with the two in Portland, there have been at least 11 shootings in four months in an area populated by 3.5 million people.

--Tigard, September 16: Tigard officer Andrew Pastore and Washington County Deputies Mikhail Gerba and Tim Mateski shot 18-year-old Lukus Glenn in the back, killing him. Glenn was drunk, had punched out windows of a car and his family's home, and had a small knife. Glenn's mother called 911, begging the police not to kill her only son. Though police said that they feared Glenn would harm his family, they fired their weapons in the direction of the house (Oregonian, October 12).

In part because of Glenn's youth, this case sparked outrage, expressed among other places in the pages of the Oregonian. Many letters called for more alternative training--none of the officers had taken Crisis Intervention training. The cops can be heard on the 911 tape screaming commands at Glenn. The editorial page noted that if this shooting was indeed by the book, "it's time to throw away the book" (October 14).

Oregonian columnist Steve Duin wondered why any family would call the police for help in the future after what had happened (September 19). Reporter Maxine Bernstein covered the incident, taking into account the family's point of view (September 18). This prompted retired Portland officer Jim Harvey to write that Bernstein took her "usual approach" by going to "the grieving mother and pump[ing] her dry." He encouraged people to call the Oregonian if they are in crisis and have Duin and Bernstein come to the scene (Rap Sheet, October 2006).

Although Glenn had attempted suicide previously and was acting irrationally, he was not diagnosed with a mental illness; this did not stop Portland Police Association Detective Peter Simpson from asserting Glenn suffered an affliction like James Chasse (Rap Sheet, October 2006).

Though residents gathered signatures to demand a public inquest, the DA has so far refused to hold any formal review of the case.

Lukus Glenn's mother's harrowing 911 call can be heard at http://www.co.washington.or.us/sheriff/media/tgrdfatl.htm

--Forest Grove, October 8: Forest Grove officers Matt Smith and Tom Siciliano and Cornelius Officer Doug Shuetz shot and killed Neil Bruce Marcy, 45, after he allegedly pointed two guns at them. The Oregonian reports that the guns had been taken away from Marcy during a suicidal crisis in January this year, but the law required police to return them (October 13). The Washington County DA concluded that the incident was a "suicide-by-cop" and did not hold a grand jury hearing (Oregonian, October 28).

--Tualatin, October 22: Washington County Deputy Glenn Howard, Tualatin Officer John Jayne and Sherwood Officer Adam Keese shot and killed Jordan Laird Case, 20, with two rounds, one to the head. Case was allegedly high on mescaline or mushrooms and had broken into a woman's house, not harming her but just stating he was sorry. Jayne tried to taser Case, and Keese tried "bean-bag" rounds. Case allegedly ran outside and reached into a patrol car where an MP-5 rifle (a submachine gun that shoots handgun-size bullets) was locked in the center of the front seat (Oregonian: Oregonlive, October 24 & 25).

(The above three shootings all took place in Washington County, OR)

--Vancouver, WA, October 1: Vancouver Detective Greg Raquer shot and killed Douglas Damon, 64 with one bullet. Damon was behind a department store holding a replica gun, which he allegedly pointed at Raquer. Damon was homeless and his traveling partner of three years had gone to get food when his friend was killed (Oregonian, October 2 and Vancouver Police Dept, November 16).

--Albany, August 25: State Trooper Russell Decker and Senior Trooper Huff Meyer shot multiple times at 26-year-old John Paul Tolliver, who died after being transported to the hospital. Tolliver had shot Decker in the foot and twice in the torso, but the officer was protected by his body armor. The Medical Examiner claimed that despite being hit by five bullets, Tolliver died of a self- inflicted gunshot wound to the head--the same autopsy result as for Jerry Goins in Portland in July, and Eddie Homsombath in 2003 (Oregonian, August 26, 27 & 29, PPRs #39 & 31).

--Springfield, October 21: Officer Eric Pardee shot and killed Scott William Boyko, 37, with one shot to the chest. Boyko had been involved in a hit-and-run accident in a stolen car, and allegedly kept his hands hidden under his shirt despite officers' warnings, claiming he had a gun though he was unarmed. Neighbors said Boyko was not dangerous (Eugene Register- Guard, October 22).

--Eugene, November 14: Officer Shawn Trotter fired five shots, killing 19-year-old Ryan Salisbury with four bullets. Salisbury had taken an anxiety-relief medication to treat a case of depresssion, according to the DA's reports (Associated Press, November 18). He advanced toward police carrying a knife (Eugene Register-Guard, November 15).

--La Pine, September 15: Oregon State Trooper William Duran, and Deschutes County Deputies Tory Flory and Justin Alps shot and killed 35-year-old Devon Shane Linville. Shortly before, Alps also shot Linville with a lead-pellet "bean bag" round, fracturing his trachea. Linville allegedly ran at Alps with a knife. Linville's mother described him as "bipolar and manic" and wished the police had found another way to deal with her son (Bend Bulletin, October 7).

--La Grande, August 17: Elgin Police Corporal Dusty Perry shot and killed Mark A. Harrell, 43, when Harrell allgedly pointed a BB gun at him. Police from multiple jursdictions had gone to Harrell's home on a report he was wounded and suicidal. They were worried for his mother's safety (Oregonian, August 18 & 25).

January, 2007
Also in PPR #40

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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