PORTLAND, Ore. — Police shot and killed a man who was allegedly making threats at an apartment building early Friday morning in Southeast Portland. The man was armed with a knife and a pellet air rifle, Portland police said.
Around 12:33 a.m. on Friday, officers responded to a report of a man who was possibly armed with a rifle and was "yelling and making threats" to neighbors on the second floor of an apartment building in the area of Southeast Lambert Street and Southeast Flavel Drive, near Southeast 52nd Avenue.
The officers saw the man with what appeared to be a rifle but was later determined to be a pellet air rifle, according to Portland police. They set up a perimeter in the area and asked nearby residents to stay inside.
An officer with the Enhanced Crisis Intervention Team responded and spoke to the man. Portland police said officers tried to deescalate the situation for about half an hour.
An officer fired a shot at 1:22 a.m., and then a team of officers moved in and found the man injured, Portland police said. Emergency responders tried to provide first aid, but the man died soon after.
The incident left neighbors frightened.
"Yeah, it's scary. I've got two young kids," said neighbor David Scholten, a father of two children, ages 10 and 7. He said gun violence is a concern.
"You know, always worried about gun violence and how that affects our communities," he said. "And definitely feel it personally today."
The man has not yet been identified, and his official cause of death has not been released. Police found a 0.22 caliber pellet air rifle and a knife near him.
The officer who shot the man has not yet been identified and is on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol.
"Events like tonight — here on this street corner but throughout the city — are challenging all of us at a time where I think all of us as a community, we are striving to come together to mitigate some of these harms," Portland Police Chief Bob Day said.
A PPB spokesperson said it's not clear yet when or if officers realized the man's gun was an air rifle before opening fire. That's something police will be reviewing.
"We continue to have a high expectation of oversight and transparency," Day said. "We will be communicating as much as possible, as soon as possible," adding, “We spent a good deal of time of time this evening trying to mitigate this outcome before relying upon the use of deadly force.”
Scholten, the neighbor who spoke to KGW, said transparency is important to him.
"The only thing I worry about is the de-escalation strategies that our police officers are using. I really want to make sure those are humane," Scholten said.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's office has been notified of the shooting. The Portland Police Bureau will conduct an internal review of the deadly police shooting, including a review of body camera footage to ensure bureau protocol was followed. The case will go before the Police Review Board, which is made up of members of the bureau, the community and representatives from the Independent Police Review Division.
Sgt. Kevin Allen of PPB said detectives are currently interviewing witnesses, talking with community members and reviewing bodycam footage.
Anyone with information who hasn't spoke to police is asked to contact Detective Jeff Sharp at Jeff.Sharp@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-9773, or Detective Tony Harris at Tony.Harris@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-0441 and reference case number 24-253949.