CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — A grand jury has unanimously voted that the fatal shooting of a man by officers in April was "justified and lawful under Oregon law," according to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday.
The grand jury, composed of seven citizens, reviewed the case from May 29 and 30.
On April 29, Clackamas County sheriff's deputies responded to the home in Happy Valley and were told that Andrew "Andy" Song, 45, was armed with a knife and had threatened to kill his wife and two young children, according to the district attorney's office.
After several hours of negotiations, the district attorney's office said it "became apparent that Song was not willing to negotiate, and his behavior became increasingly more threatening and violent towards his wife and children." The attorney's office also said Song had been trying to light a lighter, after he'd doused part of his house with lighter fluid.
Tactical units then forced their way inside the home, and a deputy and a Beaverton police officer shot and killed Song. Song's wife and children were able to safely get out of the house.
The district attorney's office later identified them as Detective Jesse Unck, who has served the sheriff's office for 14 years, and officer Charles Wujcik, who has served the Beaverton Police Department for 25 years. Both of them were on administrative leave during the investigation into the deadly shooting.
The Clackamas County District Attorney's Office said in a press release on Tuesday that the incident had "evolved rapidly" to the point where deputies and officers "faced many life-threatening dynamics not normally encountered." They were unable to use pyrotechnics or distraction devices due to the gasoline, while all the entrances had been barricaded with furniture.
The district attorney's office also noted that during over the four hours of negotiations, Song "could be seen carrying a large kitchen knife, forcing his family to move to different points in the house and often using them as shields." He later threatened to "'slit the throat" of one of his family members within five minutes.
When SWAT Team members entered the house, Song was seen "pinning his wife to the ground and holding a knife to her throat while she tried to escape." Though Unck ordered him multiple times to drop the knife, Song refused, and that's when Unck and Wujcik shot him six times "to save Ms. Song's life." He died immediately.
The investigation into Song's death was led by the Clackamas County Interagency Major Crimes Team with the county district attorney's office.
