PORTLAND, Ore. — A man who was shot and killed by Portland police earlier this week has been identified as 31-year-old Lane Christopher Martin.
Martin was reportedly armed with an edged weapon when he was shot Tuesday evening at the Ash Street Courtyard apartments, located at 12026 SE Ash St. He was not associated with the apartment complex, according to Portland police.
East Precinct officers were dispatched to the scene at 4:22 p.m. Tuesday. A man, now identified as Martin, was reportedly attempting to break into a vehicle in the parking lot of the former Safeway supermarket in the 200 block of Northeast 122nd Avenue.
When confronted by a security officer, Martin reportedly displayed an edged weapon.
Officers arrived and found Martin at the Ash Street Courtyard apartments, where the officer-involved shooting occurred.
Three officers were involved in the shooting, police said. Sgt. David Kemple and Officer Nicholas Bianchini fired several less lethal rounds. Officer Gary Doran shot and killed the suspect.
Police called for emergency medical assistance and rendered medical aid. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.
No police officers were hurt in the incident.
A witness was doing a Facebook Live at the time of the incident and gunshots can be heard in the background:
Police are asking for the driver of a black Volvo four-door SUV to contact them. Investigators said Martin approached the SUV while armed with a hatchet. The driver was on Northeast Davis Street and turning onto southbound 122nd Avenue at about 4:37 p.m.
Recovery of the body
A neighbor expressed concern to KGW that Martin's body was left on the ground for too long. She said the body was covered only with the clothing officers cut off him.
"Some of the residents were trying to give police sheets to cover him up, but they wouldn't take anything," said Teresa Taylor, who lives in the apartment complex where the man was shot. "That's understandable. It's a crime scene."
Taylor said leaving the body out for so long was problematic because there are children who live in the complex.
"There are kids that live here. Thank God mine weren't home, but people were trying to get their kids out of the situation," she said.
Portland police said while they recognize seeing a dead body can be traumatic, the crime scene needs to be preserved so investigators can gather evidence. That process can take up four to six hours. In this case, the body was moved within two hours, police said.