PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Police Bureau released body-worn footage on Monday showing what happened during an incident in late August when an officer shot and injured an armed man in North Portland.
It's the first time Portland police has released body-camera video since the rollout of their body-camera program on June 24.
On Aug. 24, officers responded to reports of a man armed with a handgun who was acting erratically on North Portsmouth Avenue near Lombard Street. Portland police identified the man as 52-year-old Robert Seeger, and said he was armed with a handgun, a knife and a hammer. Portland police included photos of the weapons in the released body-camera video. At least one 911 caller reported that he may have fired a shot, according to Portland police.
The released body-worn video, which is edited and narrated at times, starts when the first police officers to respond had already arrived at the scene. The narrator of the video says Seeger repeatedly yelled at officers to shoot him.
The narrator goes on to say that officers tried to deescalate the situation. One of the police officers is heard in the video saying over a loudspeaker, "We don't want to hurt you, but we need you to keep your hands up and visible, or force could be used against you." The officer can be heard adding that use of force could mean that Seeger could be bit by a dog or shot. The narrator says police spent several minutes attempting to get him to comply with their commands.
The body-worn video then cuts to four different police body-worn cameras. Seeger is heard yelling "headshot" twice before one of the police officers shouts, "OK, 40, 40, 40," and a less-lethal round is fired at Seeger, who runs behind a row of parked cars on the street. After that, Seeger is no longer visible in the four police body camera videos.
Portland police officer Nicholas Morales is then heard saying, "He's got the gun," and two gunshots are heard in the video. After several moments, Morales says, "I don't think I got 'em." Following several more moments, another gunshot is heard.
The narrator says Seeger was wounded and went into a nearby apartment before police and a K-9 took him into custody about 20 minutes later. The body-worn footage that was released does not show this unfold.
It also does not show whether Seeger threatened police. Neighbors who sheltered in place at the time of the incident told KGW off camera that they saw Seeger waving a gun in the air.
"I fully understand that this raises a lot of questions," said Portland Police Chief Bob Day during a news conference on Monday. "There are a lot of gaps. I want to recognize that right on the front end. That's intentional."
Day pointed to the ongoing investigation as the reason for that.
"Any time we use force in this organization, it is relevant that we take the highest level of review," Day said. "That we demonstrate commitment to the process. Accountability both internally and externally. And I'm grateful that in this particular case, everybody was able to walk away. We'll let the system play out from there."
Seeger was treated at the hospital and was released on Aug. 28 before he was booked into jail. He appeared in court on Monday for three counts of menacing, felon in possession of a firearm and burglary in the first degree.
Seeger was diagnosed with mental illnesses including schizophrenia in 2016. It's unclear if officers knew that at the time of the shooting.
Morales, a five-year veteran with the Portland Police Bureau, is on administrative leave during an investigation into the police shooting.