Grand jury will probe deadly Portland police shooting

Police shot at a man on the rooftop of a downtown Portland parking garage Wednesday after the man himself reportedly called 9-1-1, saying he had committed a robbery and planned to jump.

The man was later found dead atop an elevator shaft by SERT officers, said Sgt. Pete Simpson. The suspect was armed, Simpson said. The man did not fire at officers, police said as the investigation continued Wednesday.

Mayor Sam Adams visited the scene and later released this statement: “There is more work to be done on the investigation into the circumstances and details of this incident, including a grand jury proceeding. As the Police Bureau does with any investigation, we will look for opportunities to learn from this incident,” Adams said.

Police noted that it is standard operating procedure to call for a grand jury investigation in these types of cases.

The first 9-1-1 call came at 3:17 a.m., Simpson said. A despondent man told dispatchers he had done a robbery and was standing atop a nine-story building, intending to jump off. The man was spotted on the top floor of the SmartPark garage at SW 4th and Morrison Avenues.

Officers started to speak with the man and called for a crisis team. At some point, two officers fired shots at the man, who then dropped out of view, Simpson said. The officers could not determine if he was alive and remained a threat.

No officers were injured.

The suspect was later spotted on top of a corner elevator shaft that also serves as a stairwell. SERT officers climbed up ladders to reach him.

The police response also included the bomb squad, which used cameras on poles and on robots to search the SmartPark garage, Simpson said.

Police cordoned off an area stretching from Alder and Morrison streets to 3rd and 4th avenues during the investigation. Streets were reopened after several hours but the garage remained closed.

The Blue and Red MAX lines were switched to bus service between the Rose Quarter, Jeld-Wen Field and Kings Hill/Salmon St. during the incident. The Green and Yellow lines were unaffected.