TIGARD, Ore. — A grand jury declined to indict a former Tigard police officer in the January shooting death of 26-year-old Jacob Macduff.
Then-Ofc. Gabriel Maldonado shot and killed Macduff, who was armed with a knife, following a report of a domestic disturbance at Southwest Hall Boulevard and Bonita Road on Jan. 6, police said.
Authorities said Macduff was sitting in a pickup truck when officers arrived. After unsuccessful attempts to convince him to come out peacefully, Ofc. Maldonado tried to take him into custody by removing him from the truck.
There was a struggle and Maldonado fired multiple shots when Macduff refused commands to drop the knife.
There were concerns over Macduff's mental state at the time of the fatal shooting from both 911 callers and loved ones.
The Washington County Major Crimes Team conducted the investigation, which was completed in late April and submitted to the court.
On May 3, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton requested the Oregon attorney general's office to take over the case, citing "concerns" regarding the incident.
This month, two assistant attorneys general presented the case to a Washington County grand jury, which determined on Sept. 15 there was not enough evidence to warrant criminal charges for Maldonado.
In a press release, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she was "satisfied with the Washington County grand jury’s conclusion that there is insufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges" against Maldonado.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that Maldonado had accepted a job with Port of Portland police prior to the fatal shooting, but the hiring process was put on hold pending the outcome of the investigation. He returned to duty in March and the Port of Portland was incorrectly told he'd been cleared in the investigation.
He resigned from the Tigard Police Department in April and started at the Port of Portland four days later, but was fired after OPB's report.
Tigard police will now conduct an internal review of the case.
