PORTLAND, Ore. — A man who was shot by Portland police, then taken into custody after a shelter-in-place order was issued for the Portsmouth neighborhood, is facing several charges. No officers were injured during Saturday's shooting, police said.
Around 5:15 p.m., on Aug. 24, officers responded to reports of a man who was armed with a handgun and acting erratically while walking down the street on North Portsmouth Avenue near Lombard Street. According to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB), the suspect, still armed when officers arrived, reportedly yelled at them and came at officers before retreating and ducking behind vehicles in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
Police said the man continued to act erratically over the next hour while continuing to arm himself with the handgun and a hammer at times.
"We heard gunfire. I rushed out there. The gunman came walking through the back with the gun out and I was notified immediately, got everybody in," said a woman who works at a bar in the area.
The Portland Police Bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT) responded, and the shelter-in-place order was issued. Prior to SERT members engaging the suspect, PPB said an officer deployed a 40mm less-lethal round before an officer used deadly force.
The wounded suspect continued not to follow commands, police stated. Officers, with the assistance of a K-9, were able to take him into custody around 6:17 p.m. He was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
PPB identified the suspect Monday as 52-year-old Robert D. Seeger of Portland and that he was in police custody at a local hospital, receiving treatment for his injuries.
On Wednesday, police said Seeger was released from the hospital and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on several charges, including three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, burglary, three counts of menacing and warrants.
Police released this picture of the gun that they said they recovered from the suspect.
"Tonight is just another reminder of the challenges we're facing as a community, as a city, that there are risks out there, that there are incidents that sometimes do require this higher level of force by the police," said Portland Police Chief Bob Day over the weekend.
The officer who used deadly force is on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol following a shooting involving police. He has been identified as Nicholas Morales, a 5-year veteran of PPB.
The bureau will conduct an internal review of the incident as part of a use of force review process. The case will be presented to the Police Review Board (PRB) in line with bureau's directive outlining the procedures to be followed after an officer is involved in a shooting.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact Detective Tony Harris at 503-823-0441, or Detective Jeff Sharp at 503-823-9773 and reference case number 24-214901.